Absolute Dominion

Hiatus

2009-12-21T17:53:00.001-08:00

I'm on an extended hiatus from active blogging. Please enjoy browsing through my prior posts!

Morning and Evening

2009-03-10T19:33:00.001-07:00

As part of my daily devotional time each day I read excerpts from C.H. Spurgeon's excellent little tome entitled "Morning and Evening", and I found today's portions to be particularly applicable to the uncertain times in which we live, especially as the faith of so many in their temporal "security" so-called, be it financial, physical, or otherwise, is being shaken to and fro by God.

I earnestly pray that it may be by God Almighty's holy hand of providence that many deceived souls who are presently caught in the demonic web of the false health,wealth, and prosperity man-made systems of self-esteem, self-help, and "Your Best Life Now" might have their eyes opened to the truth, and that we might rejoice to see a great host of those spiritual mega-brothels which masquerade as churches utterly collapse under the weight of their own sins and trespasses; the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the sinful pride of life. If the Lord were ever pleased to hear an imprecatory prayer then I for one am fully persuaded that His true children ought to be praying down holy wrath upon these prophets of Baal and the evil that energizes and speaks through them; the powers, principalities, and spiritual wickedness in high places that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ.

I further pray that Spurgeon's ever-timely insights from Holy Scripture will speak to the gentle reader's heart today, as they spoke to mine.

MORNING MARCH 10

"In my prosperity I said I shall never be moved" - Psalm 30:6

Moab is settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel. Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield abundantly; let the weather be propitious to his crops; let uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a successful merchant; let him enjoy continued health; allow him with braced nerve and brilliant eye to march through the world, and live happily; give him the buoyant spirit; let him have the song perpetually on his lips; let his eye be ever sparkling with joy - and the natural consequence of such an easy stat to any man, let him be the best Christian who ever breathed, will be presumption; even David said, "I shall never be moved;" and we are not better than David, nor half so good. Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the knees of fortune; if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there were not a few clouds in the sky; if we had not some bitter drops in the wine of this life, we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream "we stand"; and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; like the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy.

We bless God, then, for our afflictions; we thank Him for our changes; we extol His name for losses of property; for we feel that had He not chastened us thus, we might have become too secure. Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.

"Afflictions, though they seem severe, In mercy oft are sent."

EVENING MARCH 10

"Man...is of few days, and full of trouble" - Psalm 30:6

It may be of great service to us, before we fall asleep, to remember this mournful fact, for it may lead us to set loose by earthly things. There is nothing very pleasant in the recollection that we are not above the shafts of adversity, but it may humble us and prevent our boasting like the Psalmist in our morning's portion. "My mountains standeth firm: I shall never be moved." It may stay us from taking too deep root in this soil from which we are so soon to be transplanted into the heavenly garden. Let us recollect the frail tenure upon which we hold our temporal mercies. If we would remember that all the trees of the earth are marked for the woodman's axe, we should not be so ready to build our nests in them. We should love, but we should love with the love which expects death, and which reckons upon separations. Our dear relations are but loaned to us, and the hour when we must return them to the lender's hand may be even at the door. The like is certainly true of our worldly goods. Do not riches take to themselves wings and fly away? Our health is equally precarious. Frail flowers of the field, we must not recon upon blooming forever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sickness, when we shall have to glorify God by suffering, and not by earnest activity. There is no single point in which we can hope to escape from the sharp arrows of affliction; out of our few days there is not one secure from sorrow. Man's life is a cask full of bitter wine; he who looks for joy in it had better seek for honey in an ocean of brine. Beloved reader, set not your affections upon things of earth; but seek those things which are above, for herethe moth devoureth, and the thief breaketh through, but there all joys are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the way home. Lord, make this thought a pillow for many a weary head!

An Uncomfortable Christmas Card for Unbelievers Comfortable at Christmas

2008-11-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

HT: Reformation Theology
by: Rev. Charles R. Biggs

Each year at this time, I think about how I would like to remind my unbelieving friends and loved ones of the glorious gospel and hope found in Jesus Christ. Seasons like Christmas give us another great opportunity to make the good news of Jesus known to the whole world, and especially to those closest to us.

Sadly however, when Christmas comes and we gather with our unbelieving friends and family, we Christians look into the eyes of our unbelieving friends and family members excitedly telling them of how God has greatly blessed us, and what the true meaning of Christmas is about, only for these glad tidings to be received at best as a nice sentiment that spiritually falls flat in their response to us, or at worst it is received as divisive and ignorant, and a subject to be avoided in our Christmas conversation (for instance: “Happy Holidays!”).

This year I decided to write a letter to those friends and loved ones who love me, but who do not love Christ; this is a letter to friends and family who do not believe. I decided to write an uncomfortable Christmas card for unbelievers comfortable at Christmas.

No one should ever be too comfortable with the truths of Scripture any time of the year! I think it is important for the truths of Scripture to keep believers all uncomfortably ever-depending upon Jesus Christ alone for our righteousness throughout the year (one of the purposes of gospel preaching). I especially think it is good for unbelieving friends and relatives to be uncomfortable this time of year when we celebrate God becoming flesh in order to save those who believe. When unbelievers become comfortable this time of year, it is time to ask ourselves as the Church whether we are speaking and proclaiming the gospel in clear, pointed, penetrating ways as Jesus, John, and Paul preached it.

If you find this letter helpful, and would like to use it yourself in order to send to those whom you love and desire them to know Jesus, I invite you to use it as often as you would like, and to send it to as many as you would like.

Merry Christ,

Pastor Biggs

Dear Friend or Loved One Who Loves Me, but Does Not Love Jesus Christ:

This Christmas, I eagerly and affectionately desire to write to you a different kind of Christmas message. I long to send you good tidings of great joy, and high hopes that your Christmas and New Year will be cheerful and full of good things, but I also want to write to make you as uncomfortable with the Christmas message as possible.

“Why would I do that?” you may ask. “Why would you want someone you love to be uncomfortable by the Christmas message?” Well, Christmas is about more than eating together, mustering up good feelings, enjoying a restful winter holiday, giving and getting presents, and singing songs around the Christmas tree (even when we don’t feel like singing). Christmas is much more than that! Now understand me, you can have a holiday anytime of the year if you want, and if you want to take a holiday at Christmas time, then that is your prerogative, but please don’t feel comfortable with Christmas and Christmas things.

The gospel message of Christmas should greatly frighten all who do not believe and love Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Great and Powerful God and Maker of the universe became flesh and dwelt among us; this is the message of Christmas. This great God who made us all, and to whom we will all be accountable, became one of us in order to make himself fully known. If you want to know God, you find him and understand him in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ; Jesus is the one who reveals God or makes him known in all of his attributes and righteousness (John 1:14-18).

This Christmas, I want you to consider three very special Christmas Bible verses, and I want you to feel very uncomfortable each time you read and hear them until by God’s grace you know the Lord Jesus Christ himself as your Lord and Savior.

These three verses will be found this season in great number on church signs, songs you hear sung, and in Christmas cards sent by others to you. In hoping to make you feel uncomfortable, I am not doing this to be mean, or to be angry, or to cause you to be unnecessarily upset with me. I am doing this because I believe your eternal destiny is at stake for not believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and I take it very seriously because I love you very much! The Bible says in John 3:18 and 3:36:

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God….John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

There are only two kinds of people at Christmas: those who believe in the Christmas message, and those who do not believe the Christmas message.

Those who do not believe in Christ the Son, who was sent by God to save sinners, are already condemned. This means that if you are an unbeliever, or one who rejects Christ outright, or merely accepts Christ on your own terms as a good religious teacher, you abide under God’s wrath for your sins at this very moment (John 3:18, 36), and this is not something to take lightly- -but fearfully and uncomfortably until you find your sins forgiven and your rest in Jesus Christ alone.

My hope as you read further is that you would feel greatly uncomfortable and convicted by your sins against God and man, and that the powerful Holy Spirit of God would reveal your need, hope, and ultimate and eternal comfort to be found in Christ alone!

With that said, may you never think the same comfortable, mere sentimental “Christmas” thoughts about the following Biblical passages! I am taking three familiar passages, two from Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 9:6-7 and Isaiah 40:1-5) and one from the Gospel of Luke. Let’s read together Isaiah 9:6-7:

“For Unto Us a Child Is Born…”
Isaiah 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

This prophecy of Isaiah that is quite familiar and quoted very comfortably during the Christmas season is about the manger ultimately. This prophecy is about a child being born and a son being given for sinners. Notice how this child, this son is described: 1) He shall be a great ruler over all governments (“the government shall be upon his shoulder”); 2) He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; and, 3) His great rule will increase so that peace will cover the face of the earth and his Kingdom will extend throughout the earth and throughout eternity. He will rule with justice and righteousness forever.

This should only comfort you if you believe upon Jesus Christ, the child, the son who is given for us. Otherwise, this prophecy should greatly threaten your comfortable existence. The first way he is described is a great ruler over all governments. Do you bow before him in service and worship as your king? Do you treat this Jesus Christ as a King, a great and mighty ruler? Do you understand that even though you might not recognize his sovereign rule, he does indeed rule? In fact, the risen ascended Christ has authority over heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:19-21). If you do not obey and serve Christ as King, you are guilty of cosmic treason against the King, and he will judge you for your unrighteous trespassing on property that has been claimed by him as his own, and over which he rules and reigns even now.

Secondly, Jesus is described as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Do you long for someone to guide you through this dark world of sin and misery, giving you a sense of purpose and understanding of who you are and who God is? HE is the Wonderful Counselor to guide and teach you. Do you listen to his counsel; or do you reject it; or are you disinterested in his counsel to you through the Bible?

Jesus came to make known the true God and he said that salvation was a knowledge of the True and Living God found in himself (John 17:1-3). Is he your wise and great Counselor, or do you live life on your terms, your way, according to your puny knowledge?

Jesus is called Mighty God. Do you recognize Jesus Christ, born in a manger of a virgin, from the little town of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem to be God himself for us? Jesus Christ was born as man to reveal God in all his greatness and power to us! Jesus called himself the Great “I AM”, making himself equal with Jehovah God. Jesus claimed to be very God of very God, that is, equal with God.

The Apostle John opens his gospel with these words (speaking of Christ as ‘The WORD’): “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Do you acknowledge him as God and Creator of all things? Think of how a Word describes and communicates something. John is saying that Jesus Christ was God’s communication of himself “The Word made flesh” to make his love and grace known (John 1:14).

I beg of you who think of Jesus as a merely another sentimental Christmas icon (along with Frosty and Santa), don’t come to the manger to peer in and fondle God’s Son unless you are coming humbly as a sinner to bow to him as Lord, to serve and worship him! Do not come to Jesus merely thinking of him as “baby Christmas Jesus”, or merely a good teacher, or a nice man who lived and made a bit of a difference in the world.

Jesus witnessed of himself, and other Scripture writers witnessed of him that he was the Mighty God; he is nothing less and will accept nothing less than your obedience and worship as God.

Jesus is called Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. As Everlasting Father he shows to us eternal love and care. No matter how much hardship we have endured, no matter how far we have gone from the love of God, and how much we have sinned again him, he receives the humble and repentant back as his children. He has come to save his own, not to condemn those who believe! Do you believe you have sinned against him as a naughty and sinful child of the Creator? Do you believe he is a forgiving Father (despite what kind of earthly father you had, or did not have)? Jesus says he came specifically for the sinners, not the righteous; he came to seek and save the lost! Are you lost? This “Everlasting Father” full of grace and truth has come to heal your wounds and forgive you your sins.

As Prince of Peace, Jesus has come to bring peace with God so that guilty consciences can be silenced by God’s grace and love. Do you long to know the peace with God that only Jesus can bring in reconciling you to the Father through his bloody death? Romans 5:1 says of believers that we receive reconciliation with the Father through Jesus Christ alone. Why? Because Jesus died as a sin offering, taking the wrath of God that sinners deserve upon himself, so that we could have peace with God.

Do you want this peace of God that passes all of your understanding? Not some fragile, temporal and idyllic peace of the world where everyone just “tries to get along” (the impossible!), but an eternal peace with God the Father and with those who are called by his name.

Do you understand that accepting this peace causes you to be at enmity with those who do not believe? Jesus brings peace with God for those who believe, but he also divides families in the process. Jesus said that father and son, mother and daughter, and other members of one family will be divided because of the peace he offers. Some will give their all to him, and some will despise him in the same family- -but he comes to bring the eternal peace with God that truly matters and makes us members of his own family.

Jesus’ Kingdom is spoken of as extending throughout the world and throughout eternity. Are you a member of that Kingdom through belief in Jesus Christ? If you do not believe, as part of the display of his righteousness and justice, he will punish eternally in hell those who deny him. The only way and hope for salvation is found in Jesus Christ. Since he is the Great God and King, he calls the shots! If he says that there is only one way to receive eternal life and it is found in him, then he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6).

If this great God and King says that those who oppose and deny him will be eternally punished and cut off from the grace and mercy of God, then this will occur because the mouth of the Lord has spoken. The Book of Revelation says when he returns it will be as a Mighty Warrior and as God Almighty to save and redeem his own of this world of sin and misery and to punish with fire those who do not believe (Revelation 19:11-16). This is not a picture of a baby in a manger, but of a warrior on a white horse full of the righteous and just wrath of Almighty God!

Repent now before it is too late. But please, stop merely thinking of Jesus as just another nice religious teacher, and baby Jesus as another American Christmas icon, and accept him as Lord and Savior. We shall now look at another popular text of Scripture from Isaiah 40:

“Comfort, Comfort My People…”
Isaiah 40:1-5: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

This is another famous portion of Scripture that has been made famous by Handel’s ‘Messiah’, but I beg you not to get too comfortable with it. Rather, heed and hear its message! It is good to be uncomfortable in God’s presence in order that perhaps through the work of the Holy Spirit and humility, you might seek after God in the face of Jesus Christ and find true and lasting comfort in his saving and loving arms- -but do not reject him!

Notice how this prophecy of Isaiah begins with words of comfort. This seems to be the opposite of what I am trying to do in my Christmas letter you might think. But notice something important: the comfort that God wants Isaiah to speak is address to his people. God says to comfort “my people” and to speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and from this Old Testament perspective, to speak to Jerusalem, meant to speak to those who were confessing to be God’s people.

The sad news is that Jesus came to his own in Jerusalem, but many did not receive him. Those who received him in Jerusalem and in other parts of the worlds were saved, and were called sons of the living God, and were those to whom words of comfort could be spoken (John 1:9-12).

God, the living God, Creator of Heaven and Earth speaks through his Scripture. There are no more prophets like Isaiah, but Isaiah’s words are still in the Bible for us, and when we speak or declare these words, it is God speaking to us (Heb. 4:1-11). Is God speaking tenderly to you through these words? Do you find comfort in these words?

For these words were written as preparatory for those who confessed faith in God to be eagerly awaiting and eagerly watching for a voice, one calling in the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD, in order for the LORD to come and make his glory manifest all over the earth. The voice that was prophesied in Isaiah was John the Baptist (Matthew 3), and John testified and witnessed to Jesus, who was God come in the flesh. The words of comfort here were for those eagerly awaiting and anticipating the arrival of God in the flesh, who were those who believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe in God’s Christ can truly take comfort as his people.

Do you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ who has come (“Joy to the world the Lord is come?!”)? Do you await the Lord Jesus’ coming? Then you should be uncomfortable in the presence of God and His Christ. This passage in Isaiah goes on to say that the glory of God shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it. The Apostle John writes in John 1:18 that we have “beheld his glory” that is, the glory of God was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ (John 1:14-18).

Do you see God’s glory in the testimony of Jesus Christ found in the Scriptures? Jesus says that blessed are those who saw him and believed, but even greater blessings await those who do not see yet believe (John 20). In the Bible, we see the glory of God (that is all of who and what God is) in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is your only hope of comfort and source of joy in this present evil age, as well as in the world to come. Do not make this prophecy a prophecy that is just part of the make up and background music of Christmastime. Let this prophecy make you feel greatly uncomfortable, and seek comfort in God alone. God speaks comfort to HIS PEOPLE- -those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ—not those who reject him selfishly.

And for those who are part of the Christian Church, who confess Christianity as their religion. Do you hope in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation? Are you comforted by Christ and something you have done for him as the basis or source of your salvation? Only in Christ alone will you find the righteousness of God that God requires in order to be saved and redeemed from death, hell, and the devil.

Remember also for those who are outwardly Christian in name. This comfort was written for those in Jerusalem who confessed their belief in God. When Christ came however, many of them rejected him because he was not the Savior they desired. Do you long for Christ’s return as the Christ that is revealed in Scripture?

Do you believe in Christ alone not trusting merely in the fact that “Jesus is just alright with you” and that perhaps the Christian religion seems the best option or choice for you among many good religious out there? Or, is belief upon Jesus Christ your only hope of eternal life, the very revelation of God’s glory and righteousness, and the one you hope in daily in order to be saved from hell?

“Would Someone Tell Me What Christmas is All About?!”
Finally, we shall turn to Luke 2. Growing up as an unbeliever, I was thankful for the opportunity every year to hear Linus Van Pelt in Charles M. Schultz’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ broadcast on CBS, to hear the gospel good tidings of Jesus born in a manger. If you remember the cartoon, Charlie Brown the main character, while unsuccessfully trying to direct a Christmas play, yells out in great frustration: “Would someone please tell me what Christmas is all about!”

His friend Linus asks the lights to be dimmed, and steps forward into the spotlight, to declare the gospel of hope for all those who would believe. I remember believing sentimentally in what Linus was saying when I was a child, but it was not until later that I truly believed the truth of what Linus (and Luke) were saying in Luke 2! May you also come to understand this as more than a quotation from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ and a sentimental Christmas wish- -and come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the babe in the manger!

Luke 2:8-16: And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Notice in this passage that when the angels appeared with this great and glorious news it caused sinful shepherds to quake in their boots at this vision in the dark night sky. The angel of the Lord tells them (and the entire world) not to fear because they bring glad tidings, or gospel good news from God himself! In order to find peace and hope they were to go to a manger, and in that manger they would find eternal hope in a baby. He was a Savior and was Christ the Lord.

What does this mean? It means that the little baby in Bethlehem’s stable was a Savior of sinners and an Anointed One full of God’s Spirit to save and renew those enslaved by sin and misery. A savior is one who can redeem, or purchase back from slavery, and Jesus said that he came to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Jesus as Savior came to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). As an Anointed One (which is the translation of ‘Christ’ from a Greek word; Christ is not his last name!), Jesus is one full of the Spirit of God, able to save the lost, able to renew them by His Spirit, able to lay down his life in order to take it up again for them in resurrection, and able to take away all the guilt and pollution in them because of their sins and unrighteousness.

This was great news but it was not for everyone, and so once again please stop merely sentimentalizing this passage, and remember to whom it is addressed specifically. Don’t get me wrong, this message should be proclaimed to the whole world; this message of this baby in the manger is God’s only hope for peace, hope, and love for mankind, and this is to be declared to as many as possible.

But the actual point of this message, that is, the message as a message that makes a difference for a weary world as far as the curse is found, is the message addressed to those with whom God is pleased (Luke 2:14). There have been other translations of this passage, but this is the best one. God is saying that there is peace on earth and goodwill toward men in Christ alone! Please do not lie to yourself (or God), and pretend to think that this message of good tidings and cheer, and peace on earth is for those who would deny and reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

God is saying through the angel here that there is true peace found among those whom he is pleased. God is pleased when men and women no matter how wicked their sins, or how hopeless their lives, believe upon the Son he sent to be Savior and Christ, who came to dwell with man, being born in a manger.

Jesus is the one who came to save us and deliver us from our sins. Do you know of the hope that only Christ can give? Do you long to know how to be right with God and the world? Are you tired of each Christmas getting a glimpse of what it is all about only to find yourself rejecting him once again?

This Christmas receive the Lord Jesus Christ. As Savior of sinners he does not require you to be righteous first (he will make you righteous later)! All that he requires is that you believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Savior and hope.

This is the message of good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people throughout the earth who believe! Jesus came to be born for you, to live the law of God perfectly for you; Jesus came to die a terrible death on a heinous cross for your sins, and he came to be raised for your justification (or your being declared righteous and no longer condemned before God!).

Do you believe?

If you do not believe, you have every right to be uncomfortable this Christmas! The wrath of God abides on you; you are in serious danger. You should not be comfortable at Christmas or any other time of the year! Repent of your sins! And believe the good news of Jesus!

Hear the words of Jesus (and I pray with every fiber of my being that you can hear):

“Come to me, all of you who are burdened by the commands of God, and of the uncomfortable feeling found in sermons about Jesus and sin, and who feel like a world of trouble and sin is on your shoulders and that it is killing you…

Come to me, and I will give you rest!
Come to me, and I will give you rest!
Come to me, and I will give you rest!

My burden is easy, and my yoke is light!” – Jesus says.

This means that belief upon the Lord Jesus Christ will give you the peace for which you so desperately long, and the good news and glad tidings of Christmas will be truly yours. But don’t seek comfort until you believe and bow before the babe in the manger in worship and obedience because you have recognized that he is God with us, and if God is with us, he is for us who believe!

Merry Christmas, and with great and affectionate love,

Charles Randall Biggs
www.aplacefortruth.org
www.sermonaudio.com/kcpc

Christianity Astray

2008-10-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (James 3:1)

The professing church is brimming over with hirelings. What is a "hireling" you might ask, and how is it relevant to the question of the condition of today's church? I'm glad you asked. Let's see what the Lord Jesus has to say of the hireling:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (John 10:11-13)

As you can see, the Lord isn't impressed with the hireling, in fact He disdains him and heaps contempt upon him. So what does it say about the state of the church when today's denominational pipelines and seminaries are cranking out hirelings nearly as fast as Mattel cranks out Ken and Barbie? And isn't there a parallel here between the plastic Christianity of these hirelings and their plastic toy counterparts? Why yes, yes there is; they're both completely fake and without true life.

True life is the life imputed by the Lord of Hosts and is a thing which no man can attain to, it is the gift of God lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet today's plasticized Christian leadership equipped with their plasticized crosses shill for a plasticized, corrupted gospel that is powerless and ineffectual for salvation. These blind leaders of the blind send countless myriads of deceived followers home each week singing of a heaven they'll never see apart from the change of heart, submission, and faithful obedience to Christ that are foundational to true salvation.

But believer beware! These hirelings and their faithful pulpit worshiping followers become simultaneously defensive and aggressive when their ear tickling meal-ticket appears to be threatened. If one dares question the status quo of their Nicolaitane constructs, rest assured that fiery darts of false accusations are sure to fly his way. All bets are off and all the stops are pulled when the hirelings are exposed to the bright light of inspired scripture. As they quickly scurry from the light they and their enamored followers will erect false defenses, twist scripture, and resort to absurd claims of spiritual authority or "contextual ambiguity" in their desperate attempts to maintain their deception at all costs. Not unlike the miserable, feeble old man hiding behind the curtain while pretending to be "The Great and Powerful Oz", the spiritual charlatan will attempt to continue his masquerade even when the truth is standing in his presence and staring him squarely in the face. A particularly amazing example of this form of blind idolatry seems to surround Mark Driscoll.

Even when Driscoll muses about homo-erotic encounters taking place with Jesus Christ in heaven and shamefully imputes sinful sexual desire to the Risen Lord and Savior he is nevertheless tenaciously defended tooth and nail by his misguided apologists. It's simultaneously stunning and saddening to me that professing Christians would mount a vigorous defense of a PASTOR, and UNDER-SHEPHERD OF THE LORD who employs scatalogical and vulgur language from the pulpit, who makes homosexual allusions to the ascendent KIng of Glory Jesus Christ, and who claims that the Righteous and Anointed One, the Eternal Son and second Person of the Trinity "wanted" (i.e. desired) to have "intimate relations" (i.e. sexual relations) with His own creations. Beloved this well established pattern of despicable behavior is shameful and ought not even be named among the church of Jesus Christ which he purchased by the shedding of His own, pure, sinless blood and His agonizing, humilating death upon a cruel Roman cross.

Sadly hirelings and their hangers-on are guilty not only of propagating error from within, but because they are no true shepherds they fail to fulfill their duty as under-shepherds of the Lord and defend their flocks from outside attacks as well. In such a miserable estate there is all manner of spiritual corruption, chaos and confusion. Such bitter spiritual fruit is inevitably manifest in the lives of those who draw close to the Lord with their mouths while their hearts are far from Him.

Thanks to pastors like Mark Driscoll and his erstwhile hangers-on, sycophants and shameless and/or clueless defenders - not to mention the high profile support, encouragement, speaking engagements, and platforms he receives from his big name, sin-enabling buddies like John Piper (who incidentally teaches the insidiously blasphemous lie that Jesus Christ was damned upon the cross) this is where much of modern “Christianity” (so-called) is headed folks; right down the gutter and straight into deepest cesspool of the lowest pit of hell itself.

Of the hireling A.W. Tozer well said:

A Hireling; No True Shepherd
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

"It is doubtful whether we can be Christian in anything unless we are Christian in everything. To obey Christ in one or two or ten instances and then in fear of consequences to back away and refuse to obey in another is to cloud our life with the suspicion that we are only fair-weather followers and not true believers at all. To obey when it costs us nothing and refuse when the results are costly is to convict ourselves of moral trifling and gross insincerity….

Again, the pastor when facing his congregation on Sunday morning, dare not think of the effect his sermon may have on his job, his salary or his future relation to the church. Let him but worry about tomorrow and he becomes a hireling and no true shepherd of the sheep. No man is a good preacher who is not willing to lay his future on the line every time he expounds the Word. He must let his job and his reputation ride on each and every sermon or he has no right to think that he stands in the prophetic tradition." SIZ, 146-147.
(A.W. Tozer; Tozer on Christian Leadership)

May the hirelings of our day quickly find themselves out of work and broken and repentant before the Triune One True and Living God, the infinite Creator and Judge of the universe.

CAMPONTHIS: THE GUARDIAN OF GRUNGE AND SEATTLE-SLUDGE...Driscoll uses the Lord Jesus Christ again as his punch-line. It's not funny anymore - repent.

2008-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

CAMPONTHIS: THE GUARDIAN OF GRUNGE AND SEATTLE-SLUDGE<br>...Driscoll uses the Lord Jesus Christ again as his punch-line. It's not funny anymore - repent.

In Bed Together

2008-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

HAT TIP: Watcher's Lamp

The Death of a Church

2008-08-19T03:41:00.000-07:00

"Death (of a Church) occurs when unbelievers are allowed to take over ministries in the church. It happens when a church becomes more concerned with form and liturgy than it is with life on a spiritual level. Death occurs when a church becomes more concerned about welfare and social ills than it is about salvation. It happens when a church loves systems more than it loves Jesus Christ. And it happens when a church becomes more concerned with material things than spiritual reality. That's how a church dies. It all is a result of sin.

Sin--in any form that the church tolerates, whether it is in the members or the leaders. Tolerance of sin begins the cycle; then comes the tolerance of unbelievers in the church until no one cares who is a believer or an unbeliever. The end comes when the man who runs the church isn't a believer. Sins of commission and omission kill a church little by little. When that happens, Christians become carnal. Soon afterwards, unbelievers come into the church, and then a total tolerance for sin exists. The church begins to die, and the people who really love Jesus Christ leave only to be replaced by people who don't know Him." — John MacArthur

HAT TIP: The Bororean

A Few Words on Richard Abanes and Repentance

2008-08-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Richard Abanes says: “Ken Silva's stubbornness is to blame.”

Richard Abanes says: "Taking sides” is to blame.

Richard Abanes says: "Everyone else" is wresting scriptures to "advance an agenda".

Richard Abanes is presently engaged in a vain attempt to justify his reprehensible, unjustifiable and un-Christ like behavior all around the Christian blogosphere.

Richard Abanes is in denial.

Richard Abanes is in desperate need of repentance.

I'm sorry but the hubris on display by Richard Abanes (RA) in the present "Abanes/Silva Dust Up" is simply breathtaking. Do such a statements as those quoted above strike anyone else as sounding eerily familiar? To me it sounds exactly like the first resort of the red-handed - namely blame shifting.

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:12)

For those who may be unaware of the present situation one Richard Abanes - Saddleback apologist and PDL insider - violated scripture in a self-centered, flesh pleasing effort to have an article that personally offended him removed from the website of one Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. Much has been said and written on this sorry situation and a simple Internet search of Abanes/Silva" should give the interested reader plenty to chew on.

It's unfortunate that in his self-professed "final word on the issue" RA has willfully (and not so skillfully) chosen to ignore and evade the fundamental question "What did Ken Silva say in the offending article 'A PASTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES' that was deemed so libelous?"

And perhaps even more importantly why does RA – his scriptural gymnastics to the contrary notwithstanding - continue to stand defiantly and unrepentantly in violation of 1 Cor. 6:1-8? Oh, that’s right! RA simply issues a statement flatly denying that he’s in violation of 1 Cor. 6:1-8 and that’s that! Thus saith Richard Abanes! Move along folks, nothing to see here…but wait! There is something to see here – in fact there’s MUCH to be seen here.

In my opinion the bitter fruit born from the poisonous root of the Purpose Driven Paradigm is evident for all to see through the simple observation of RA's shameful, self-centered, and flesh-gratifying actions throughout this whole sorry episode. Interestingly enough RA's well established pattern of generally un-Christ like comportment is the whole point behind Ken Silva's missive “A PASTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES”.

RA has frequently demanded for his “detractors” to show him where his theology or doctrine were challenged by the offending Silva article, yet the article wasn't concerned with his theology or doctrine; it was concerned with the bitter fruit produced by the Purpose Driven Paradigm of which one Richard Abanes was (and is) "Exhibit A". In point of fact Ken Silva’s article makes much more sense now than it did when I originally read it because RA has verified the veracity of Ken's claims by demonstrating his well established pattern of behavior throughout this ordeal.

For example the following quote is taken from Silva's offending article:

From where I stand, it has now become clear to me that Mr. Abanes feels anyone who disagrees with him is simply wrong, no matter what evidence may be presented to him. It is my sincere prayer that the following might cause him to come to a position where he will at least show some semblance of respect for others in the family of Christ with whom he does not agree. Perhaps he might wish to consider Philippians 3:15 – Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you (NKJV).

And in another quote taken from “A PASTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES” Ken Silva points towards RA's less than charitable and very personal attack on Dr. John MacArthur who is himself on record exposing the bitter and rotten fruit of the man-centered, flesh pleasing Purpose Driven Paradigm:

From Tim Challies’ rather revealing interview with Mr. Abanes, we will see an arrogance emerge as he “attacks” (personally?) Dr. John MacArthur. Whatever one may think of every area of Dr. MacArthur’s theological positions, the fact remains that he is widely acknowledged as one of the finest Bible teachers we have in the Christian Church today. Further, MacArthur is also a man who is a senior pastor–and an elder–if you will, within the Evangelical church at large.

And yet, instead of showing Dr. MacArthur the respect his venerable position within Christ’s church would entitle him to, Mr. Abanes says with insolence:

As for John MacArthur, he simply does not know what he is talking about and has shown himself to be a loose cannon when it comes to Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, and Saddleback . I am not sure who is feeding him information, but it is false. But perhaps MacArthur just doesn’t care enough about truth to be careful in his own research. Therefore, I fault MacArthur for either: a) not doing his own research; or b) not doing his own research carefully enough before falsely accusing ChurchWarren of things that Warren has never taught. (http://www.challies.com/archives/001175.php)

These are strong words against Dr. MacArthur from RA.

They’re personal words.

They’re incendiary words.

In fact prior to Ken Silva's writing of “A PASTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES” RA had also expressed his obvious disdain for Silva's "research skills". Interestingly enough there is somewhat of a controversy surrounding RA's own "research skills" as can be easily found online by those who are curious enough to spend a few moments using their own research skills.

Is RA guilty of blame shifting and unrepentantly avoiding his personal responsibility as a professing Christian in the matter before us? Does RA stand defiantly in rebellion of Matt. 18:16-18 and 1 Cor. 6:1-8? I think the facts speak for themselves.

After an absolutely gripping and heart wrenching Biblical plea from Steven J. Camp (SJC) for peace and reconciliation in the matter in the combox over at his blog (posted at 19:32) the best RA could muster was to pick out one sentence, laugh at it, summarily issue the cyber-equivalent of the New York State Bird, and then dismissively walk away! Folks the cavalier, flippant and haughty attitude on display by RA herein is simply stunning.

It really is.

To be honest it was difficult for me to put into words what I felt as I typed a response to RA’s drippingly derisive comment in SJC’s meta, but as I said there it was somewhere between pity and righteous indignation. Look, I'm not taking a secondary offense for Ken Silva or SJC anyone else here. I'm simply in shock at the continuing display of indifference, defiance, and stiff-necked rebellion against God's Holy Word and the high handed snubbing of a Christ-centered God honoring appeal for reconciliation from one professed brother in the Lord (SJC) to another professing believer (RA).

Behold the bitter fruit of the Purpose Driven Paradigm!

THIS my friends is what Ken Silva's original article, "A PASTOR'S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES" was about in the first place.

THIS exact and well established pattern of un-Christ like, self justifying, fast and loose spin-doctoring by one Richard Abanes is what Ken Silva's original article, "A PASTOR'S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES" was about in the first place.

THIS bitter fruit, born from the womb of the Purpose Driven Paradigm in the person of Saddleback apologist Richard Abanes is what Ken Silva's original article, "A PASTOR'S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES" was about in the first place.

Throughout this ordeal RA has done nothing if not MAKE KEN SILVA'S CASE FOR HIM!

SJC appealed to RA in the light of scripture and admonished him to go to his brother (Ken Silva) - and I applaud him for his heart felt efforts - but to be quite frank based on RA’s open letter to SJC and his behavior throughout this dust up it isn't clear to me whether or not RA actually considers Ken Silva to be his brother in the Lord. In fact I've never actually seen RA clarify this point.

I must confess in the Lord that I'm personally appalled by RA's copious uncharitable responses thus far which, in the light of scripture, clearly originate from the flesh and are therefore worldly and carnal which things are displeasing to the LORD.

I'm particularly struck by the Biblical fact that a regenerate heart will be unfailingly demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit which is peace, love, longsuffering, etc. Certainly true, regenerate, born-again Christians can - and frequently do - fall into miserable sin or react suddenly from the "old man" in the flesh, yet this is not to be the pattern of one's life conversation as is evidently the case with Richard Abanes. To the contrary, a heart that's truly devoted above all things to the glory of Jesus Christ and which is being sanctified by the Holy Spirit from glory to glory will be found, as a pattern of life, to be obedient, submissive, teachable and humble to His instruction, rebuke, and reproach.

It truly grieves my heart to say that I have seen none of these characteristics in RA's responses here or anywhere else where this subject is under discussion. To me this is no light matter because the scriptures teach that not only individuals, but entire congregations can possess all the trappings, appearances and credentials of Christianity - being students of the scriptures and being impressively outwardly religious all while being inwardly lost and without hope (i.e. see the church of Ephesus in Revelation). To call Jesus “Lord, Lord” but then reject and disobey His commands is not evidence of belief but of unbelief. Isn’t the responsibility of a Christian to be a witness to Christ in the world as opposed to seeking to secure his perceived “rights” in the world? Isn’t it indicative of a divided loyalty (i.e. being double-minded) to find or manufacture excuses for why we don’t obey the commands of scripture? Aren’t Christians to be obedient to Christ on His terms and not our own? If we find ourselves to be in such a sorry estate do we not have good cause to question the reality of our faith?

Where is the love?

Where is the humility?

We must always be sensitive to the possibility that we're dealing with unbelievers in our midst and therefore we are commanded to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves as we lovingly correct those who do err in the faith. If through this process we win our brother, or restore one who stumbles because he is weaker in the faith then Christ is glorified, and if through this process we cast out one who scorns correction and spurns discipline then the spiritual health and purity of the church is protected and Christ is glorified. Of course the purpose of proper, Biblical discipline is always restoration, not ostracism.

Now PLEASE understand that I'm not judging RA's heart here or suggesting that he is an unbeliever - only the Lord knows his heart - but the church is called to judge behavior and how one's behavior lines up with the scriptural profile of a Christian and in my view of scripture RA's behavior thus far has been absolutely reprehensible and has brought shame to the Name of the Lord.

And so is this sorry situation to end where it began? Is this sad episode to simply fade away into the cyber-waste bin like so many other various and sundry dust ups? Is it acceptable for those of us in the Body with an acute awareness of this matter to simply "Let go and let God"?

If so, then in my mind such thinking represents a monumental abrogation of our Christian duty and an utter failure to be faithful and obedient to the Master's clear cut, objective, and eminently forthright scriptural commands.

If so, then the sad result of all the original posts, subsequent comments thread discussions, and all the other various and sundry related articles strewn around the 'net are in fact full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

If so, then we have proven to ourselves and the world that we are, in fact, all talk and no action.

I for one am not okay with this.

"Then what's next?", you might ask. "What are we to do?" I'm glad you asked, and I'll gladly tell you.

I'll tell you what I've already told you. I'll tell you that I don't believe Ken Silva could have scripted a response for RA to follow that could have done more to actually make Ken's original case for him than RA has done through his own unwitting tactics which he has literally plastered all over the blogosphere for all to see.
I’ll tell you that perhaps most amazingly to me RA seems to be completely unaware of the fact that his actions throughout this ordeal have served to vindicate and prove the case made against him by Ken Silva in his offending article "A PASTOR'S ASSESSMENT OF RICHARD ABANES".

I’ll tell you that given RA's pattern of self-justifying, stiff-necked, rebellious, and un-Christ like comportment throughout this ordeal in the light of his clear violation of Matt. 18:16-18 and 1 Cor. 6:1-8 and his ongoing defiance of Matt. 5:23-24 I am compelled to arrive at the Biblical conclusion that RA must be treated as a Gentile and a publican until he publicly repents and humbly seeks reconciliation.

And I’ll tell you that I now call on others within the Christian blogosphere to carefully examine the totality of this situation and prayerfully consider the "conversation of RA's life" and his personal conduct as it relates to this matter in the light of scripture and I exhort you to join me in calling upon RA to repent of his self-justifying and prideful resistance to loving scriptural rebuke and correction in this situation.

I realize that these are strong words. I recognize that these are strident comments. But upon examination this is the only Biblical conclusion at which I can arrive and therefore I encourage likeminded Christian bloggers to pick up this clarion call and trumpet it forth until there has been full and public repentance and reconciliation in this situation to the praise of the glory of Jesus Christ alone.

‘Til He returns or calls me home,
CD

A Call to Discernment with Justin Peters: Parts 1 - 4

2008-08-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

Justin Peters dissects the heretical Word of Faith false gospel in this four part series.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

Jesus Christ the Damned?

2008-08-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Something serious seems to be happening right now with John Piper and CJ Mahaney regarding an unsettling position that they've evidently both taken on Christ's atoning work on the cross.

Steve Camp has posted a disturbing expose on this subject over at his blog in a piece entitled "THE SCREAM OF THE DAMNED...was Jesus really damned by God for our salvation?" that resulted from a pair of sermons that were delivered at the 2008 RESOLVED conference by Piper and Mahaney. Here is how Camp begins his post:

"I have listened now several times to two messages from the 2008 Resolved Conference by CJ Mahaney and John Piper. The shocking phrase they both chose to use to describe Jesus' finished work of redemption on the cross for the elect was, The Scream of the Damned. No, they are not referring to unregenerate people in hell, or the weeping and gnashing of teeth from perdition's flames, but using this to describe the sinless, holy Son of God as our divine Substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ the Righteous now called: The Damned. This is unthinkable. Those words not only stunned me, but it did stir my interest afresh to go back and study again the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross with those provocative words in mind."

I began listening to “God’s Wrath: Vengeance is Mine, I Will Repay” by John Piper tonight after carefully reading through Steve Camp's post and the comments meta and lo and behold what did I discover but that John Piper has evidently been teaching this doctrine for years!

My discovery prompted me to leave this comment in Steve's meta:

Steve,

Since I don't believe in coincidences I must believe that God's providence brought me to the following piece from John Piper dated February 27th, 2005 which is entitled "God's Wrath: 'Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay,' Says the Lord".

I was researching this piece because it was linked from another blog as a resource for defending the Biblical truth of the doctrine of hell over and against the myriads who despise and reject this doctrine, but I was shocked to hear Piper make the statement near the beginning of this sermon that Jesus Christ was damned on the cross.

Now you'll need to listen to the audio because the statement didn't make it into the sermon transcript, but beginning at about the 1:18 mark Piper makes the statement; "Jesus Christ perfectly righteous and perfectly damned on the cross in our place".

As I mentioned in my prior quote I'd never heard about this matter until today and suddenly I've stumbled across it twice now.

I pray that this matter will be earnestly and prayerfully resolved with all gravity.

This is no light matter my friends! Let us fervently pray that the One True and Living God and His Christ would be glorified as the details of this issue are sorted out in the light of inspired scripture.

Watchman or Gossip?

2008-07-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

[Love] “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1Corinthians 13:6)

Herescope asks some penetrating questions on the subject of Watchman or Gossip?

How do we react to the news of the fall of Christians, or to the rumor of the latest heresy that comes out of the camp of the false teachers? Do we take delight in pouncing on the latest tidbit of scandal and spreading it as wide as possible? Or do we react like David and Samuel did?

This article is a must read for those who value Biblical discernment while desiring to maintain our Christian resolve toward charity - both of which are admonished by scripture. May we who are called by the Name of the LORD be ever mindful that we are sinners saved by grace and that even God's truth can be professed without love and without balance.

Continue reading "Watchman or Gossip?" here.

Ten Effects of Believing in the Five Points of Calvinism

2008-07-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

by Dr. John Piper
(April 20, 2002)

These ten points are my personal testimony to the effects of believing in the five points of Calvinism. I have just completed teaching a seminar on this topic and was asked by the class members to post these reflections so they could have access to them. I am happy to do so. They, of course, assume the content of the course, which is available on tape from Desiring God Ministries, but I will put them here for wider use in the hope that they might stir others to search, Berean-like, to see if the Bible teaches what I call "Calvinism."

1. These truths make me stand in awe of God and lead me into the depth of true God-centered worship.
I recall the time I first saw, while teaching Ephesians at Bethel College in the late '70's, the threefold statement of the goal of all God's work, namely, "to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

It has led me to see that we cannot enrich God and that therefore his glory shines most brightly not when we try to meet his needs but when we are satisfied in him as the essence of our deeds. "From him and through him and to him are all things. To him the glory forever" (Romans 11:36). Worship becomes an end in itself.

It has made me feel how low and inadequate are my affections, so that the Psalms of longing come alive and make worship intense.

2. These truths help protect me from trifling with divine things.
One of the curses of our culture is banality, cuteness, cleverness. Television is the main sustainer of our addiction to superficiality and triviality.

God is swept into this. Hence the trifling with divine things.

Earnestness is not excessive in our day. It might have been once. And, yes, there are imbalances in certain people today who don't seem to be able to relax and talk about the weather.

Robertson Nicole said of Spurgeon, "Evangelism of the humorous type [we might say, church growth of the marketing type] may attract multitudes, but it lays the soul in ashes and destroys the very germs of religion. Mr. Spurgeon is often thought by those who do not know his sermons to have been a humorous preacher. As a matter of fact there was no preacher whose tone was more uniformly earnest, reverent and solemn" (Quoted in The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 57).

3. These truths make me marvel at my own salvation.
After laying out the great, God-wrought salvation in Ephesians 1, Paul prays, in the last part of that chapter, that the effect of that theology will be the enlightenment of our hearts so that we marvel at our hope, and at the riches of the glory of our inheritance, and at the power of God at work in us – that is, the power to raise the dead.

Every ground of boasting is removed. Brokenhearted joy and gratitude abound.

The piety of Jonathan Edwards begins to grow. When God has given us a taste of his own majesty and our own wickedness, then the Christian life becomes a thing very different than conventional piety. Edwards describes it beautifully when he says,

The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires: their hope is a humble hope, and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is humble, brokenhearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit, and more like a little child, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behavior (Religious Affections, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959, pp. 339f).

4. These truths make me alert to man-centered substitutes that pose as good news.
In my book, The Pleasures of God (2000), pp. 144-145, I show that in the 18th century in New England the slide from the sovereignty of God led to Arminianism and thence to universalism and thence to Unitarianism. The same thing happened in England in the 19thcentury after Spurgeon.

Iain Murray's Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1987), p. 454, documents the same thing: "Calvinistic convictions waned in North America. In the progress of the decline which Edwards had rightly anticipated, those Congregational churches of New England which had embraced Arminianism after the Great Awakening gradually moved into Unitarianism and universalism, led by Charles Chauncy."

You can also read in J. I. Packer's Quest for Godliness (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1990), p. 160, how Richard Baxter forsook these teachings and how the following generations reaped a grim harvest in the Baxter church in Kidderminster.

These doctrines are a bulwark against man-centered teachings in many forms that gradually corrupt the church and make her weak from the inside, all the while looking strong or popular.

1 Timothy 3:15, "The church of the living God [is] the pillar and bulwark of the truth."

5. These truths make me groan over the indescribable disease of our secular, God-belittling culture.
I can hardly read the newspaper or look at a TV ad or a billboard without feeling the burden that God is missing.

When God is the main reality in the universe and is treated as a non-reality, I tremble at the wrath that is being stored up. I am able to be shocked. So many Christians are sedated with the same drug as the world. But these teachings are a great antidote.

And I pray for awakening and revival.

And I try to preach to create a people that are so God-saturated that they will show and tell God everywhere and all the time.

We exist to reassert the reality of God and the supremacy of God in all of life.

6. These truths make me confident that the work which God planned and began, he will finish – both globally and personally.
This is the point of Romans 8:28-39.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present 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 in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7. These truths make me see everything in the light of God's sovereign purposes – that from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be glory forever and ever.
All of life relates to God. There's no compartment where he is not all-important and the one who gives meaning to everything. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Seeing God's sovereign purpose worked out in Scripture, and hearing Paul say that "he accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11) makes me see the world this way.

8. These truths make me hopeful that God has the will, the right, and the power to answer prayer that people be changed.
The warrant for prayer is that God may break in and change things – including the human heart. He can turn the will around. "Hallowed be thy name" means: cause people to hallow your name. "May your word run and be glorified" means: cause hearts to be opened to the gospel.

We should take the New Covenant promises and plead with God to bring them to pass in our children and in our neighbors and among all the mission fields of the world.

"God, take out of their flesh the heart of stone and give him a new heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19).

"Lord, circumcise their hearts so that they love you" (Deuteronomy 30:6).

"Father, put your spirit within them and cause them to walk in Your statutes" (Ezekiel 36:27).

"Lord, grant them repentance and the knowledge of the truth that they may escape from the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

"Father, open their hearts so that they believe the gospel" (Acts 16:14).

9. These truths reminds me that evangelism is absolutely essential for people to come to Christ and be saved, and that there is great hope for success in leading people to faith, but that conversion is not finally dependent on me or limited by the hardness of the unbeliever.
So it gives hope to evangelism, especially in the hard places and among the hard peoples.

John 10:16, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold, I must bring them also. They will heed my voice."

It is God's work. Throw yourself into it with abandon.

10. These truths make me sure that God will triumph in the end.
Isaiah 46:9-10, "I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand that I will accomplish all my purpose'"

Putting them altogether: God gets the glory and we get the joy.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org.
Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

A False Gospel Leads to Damnation

2008-07-19T13:12:00.001-07:00

HAT TIP: CrossTV

The Insufficiency of the Simplicity of the Gospel…

2008-07-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

...or "When Did the Church Lose Faith in Grace?"

I've been amazed and saddened by the all out attack on the simplicity of the Eternal Gospel of Grace that's been launched over the past several days because one Ray Comfort, a well known, orthodox, and faithful bond servant of the Lord Jesus Christ has accepted an invitation again (and much to the chagrin of some) to preach the foolishness of the cross at an upcoming Word of Faith conference. Ray Comfort is an evangelist who, as far as I can tell, faithfully presents the uncompromised and eternal gospel of grace whereby God is pleased to supernaturally and miraculously convert deadened, hell bound sinners into lively stones fitly joined together.

Maybe I'm just terribly dense on this matter, and perhaps a loving brother or sister in the Lord out there can help me to understand, but I’m still looking for ONE scriptural precedent wherein ministers of the gospel EVER placed preconditions or caveats upon the faithful proclamation of the eternal gospel of grace under ANY circumstances; or perhaps for ONE scriptural case wherein any believer or group of believers are exhorted in the scriptures to place certain “in advance” demands or prerequisites upon another believer prior to his ministering of the gospel. It seems to me that something this important wouldn’t have been overlooked in the Bible say, for example, when the Lord Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission. Bravo to those who are willing and able to boldly stand on the infallible Word of God and faithfully proclaim His pure and eternal gospel of grace at every opportunity and especially in the face of opposition - whatever its source - for they are being faithful to King Jesus and His Great Commission to the praise of His glory alone forever and evermore. For men to add preconditions or caveats to another man's faithful presentation of the pure gospel is simply without biblical precedent.

I’m also still a bit confused as to why some sovereign grace Christians apparently seem to believe that the Lord God Omnipotent is so powerless and thoughtless that He would miraculously regenerate His elect through the faithful proclamation of His eternal gospel of grace and then simply abandon His child to “drink spiritual poison” allowing them to languish underneath false teaching thus becoming unfaithful to His promise to finish the good work that He has begun (Philippians 1:6). Can someone help me out here? What love is this? What happened to sovereign grace?

Why has the conception of the absolutely sovereign One True and Living God of the Holy Bible become so small as to think that the power of His eternal gospel of grace needs a little help from sinful men to REALLY get the point across because, well, you know, people are REALLY deceived by Satan?

When did the church begin believing the lie that Satan’s power of deception is greater than the One True and Living God’s gospel power of salvation? Our God is God. Our God reigns. He sits in the heavens and does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3). When did the church begin ascribing God’s attributes to the enemy?

The power of the eternal gospel of grace is more than sufficient to overcome all the wiles and deceits of the enemy by God’s power alone. Have faith! May those who are called by the name of the Lord of Glory never be found standing in opposition to the faithful proclamation of His Eternal Gospel of grace!

The eternal gospel of grace faithfully presented is more than sufficient and it is in fact God’s chosen means whereby sinners are supernaturally and miraculously converted to faith in Jesus Christ by grace through faith in Him alone. God’s power to save His elect from every kingdom, tribe, tongue and nation is omnipotent and is able to save His chosen to the uttermost.

It seems to me that if one wishes to quote Jude 3 (as some have) as a proof text against those who would boldly and faithfully proclaim the eternal gospel to ANYONE, ANYWHERE then let’s please continue to read on down through verses 21-23 and then let’s be obedient to the WHOLE COUNSEL of God. The same goes for 2 Cor. 6:14-18 – I think all discerning, orthodox, Bible-believing Christians would agree the WoF cultists aren’t in the church so in its proper context this application fails the "proof text test" as well as this text is clearly referring to brothers and sisters inside the church who are living in sinful immorality and does not refer to those outside the church – even if they claim to be “true Christians” (i.e. Mormons and JW’s). Lastly 2 John 10-11 has exactly nothing to do with the situation at hand because the admonishment herein is to not receive such people into the church (and at the time of writing most likely admonished against receiving such into the house churches in a spirit of Christian hospitality and fellowship which cannot be applied to unbelievers) which is the exact reverse of faithfully going out into the world and preaching the gospel unto unsaved false believers (such as WoF cultists) with a bold and unflinching faith that God will save those whom He has elected by His sovereign grace and power alone.

It has pleased the Lord to draw His children, whom He has foreknown from the foundations of the world, by the foolishness of the preaching of the cross.

The eternal gospel is the answer to the WoF heretics.

The eternal gospel is the solution to culture.

The eternal gospel is God’s chosen means whereby sinful, wretched, hopelessly lost sinners are miraculously and supernaturally converted into lively stones fitly joined together. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes!

All the discernment in the world doesn’t matter a bit apart from the all-redeeming power of the glorious gospel of grace. Certainly the WoF’ers are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing and ought to be soundly and roundly rebuked by true Bible believing, blood bought Christians everywhere - HOWEVER - when in our sincerest moments we should find that we begin to place preconditions on the PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL then we find ourselves in a spiritual no-man’s land. In fact if we are ever to be found in such a sorry estate then we will also be found to be standing over and against the Great Commission of our glorious Lord and Savior. May such a thing never be named among those who believe on Him and Him alone.

Did Paul “give credence” to the unbelieving Jews when he preached the gospel from synagogue to synagogue or when he earnestly contended for the faith during his Mars Hill Discourse with the Athenian philosophers? Did his preaching there place the Athenian philosopher’s beliefs “on equal footing” with the eternal gospel?

Or what about Peter; did he “give credence” to the unbelievers to whom he preached the very first Christian sermon on the Day of Pentecost? Did his preaching there place his hearer’s false beliefs “on equal footing” with the eternal gospel?

Or how about the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; when he accepted invitations and ate with harlots, sinners, and tax collectors (without preconditions); did He “give credence” to their debauched lifestyles or did He share the good news of the kingdom of God with them? Is the Lord Jesus Christ guilty of putting their sinful lifestyles “on equal footing” with His own eternal gospel?

Again could someone please share just ONE example from scriptures where it seemed good to the Holy Spirit to refuse the proclamation of the eternal gospel of grace to sinners?

As men's souls are enlightened by God alone through the hearing of the true and faithful proclamation of the eternal gospel of grace alone then God and God alone will ensure that He finishes the good work that He has begun in His elect. This is the very foundation of the doctrines of grace - that salvation is God wrought meaning that our salvation, sanctification, and ultimate glorification is ALL OF GRACE!

It isn't up to Ray Comfort to correct the erroneous beliefs to which the WoF adherents hold - this ought to be crystal clear because according to the scriptures unregenerate sinners have no spiritual discernment! This is the work of the Holy Spirit’s power of regeneration by grace through faith which comes by the hearing of the Word of God. And how will they believe without a preacher?

What possible good could a clever oratory on spiritual discernment and the manifold heresies of the WoF heretics do for their deceived adherents who probably haven't even heard a faithful proclamation of the eternal gospel of grace and thus are dead in their trespasses and sins and spiritually blinded? NONE! God bless Ray Comfort and may the Lord grant that he present a faithful proclamation of the true gospel of the REAL Jesus Christ to those WoF'ers and let us pray that it might please the Lord to save some of His elect who are in attendance there from their present miserable estate of bondage and oppression by His Gospel power alone!

Sadly it seems that this matter with Ray Comfort began - and evidently continues - because some people seem to think that the faithful preaching and presentation of the WHOLE GOSPEL OF GRACE is in some way insufficient.

In fact this position has been articulated to me in private and it is also available for public view as you can see here in this comment: "Ray, You Have To Warn, Not Just Preach the Gospel". (You'll need to click READ MORE FEEDBACK and scroll down to read this comment in its entirety.)

...not "just" preach the gospel?!?

...not "JUST" PREACH THE GOSPEL?!?!

This is the real touch point where this whole controversy started, that somehow the gospel itself, properly and faithfully presented is INSUFFICIENT in some way which is, of course, a lie from the pit of hell. In fact it's hard for me to imagine a more man-centered and anti-christian sentiment than to say “the gospel just isn't enough”.

No, it's MORE than enough since it's the very means whereby God in His sovereign wisdom and good pleasure has been chosen to supernaturally and miraculously enable unworthy, sinful men not only get to go to have their sins forgiven, not only to get to go to heaven, not only to enjoy eternal life, not only possess the treasure of eternal joy away from the presence of sorrow and sin, but to possess the TRUE treasure of eternal joy beholding the unveiled and unspeakably majestic glory of the One True and Living God in the face of Jesus Christ forever and evermore.

To think that a faithful presentation of the pure gospel needs "just a little help"; or just a little “something more” from Ray Comfort - or any other sinful man or woman for that matter - is shockingly unscriptural and in my mind represents a pathetically low and unbiblical view of the omnipotent, omniscient, absolutely holy, just, righteous, infinite, only wise One True and Living God of the Holy Bible.

He and His gospel are more than able.

He and His gospel are more than enough.

He and His gospel are more than sufficient.

And, as any true believer would agree, His chosen method of converting sinners is the faithful presentation of His gospel of grace.

With this in mind let's join together and pray for Ray Comfort and all those who are willing to go anywhere and preach to anyone about the wondrous good news of the kingdom of God in fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission regardless of their reputations or whether or not they "get invited back again". The measure is God's glory as His eternal gospel is faithfully proclaimed, not the results or responses or opinions of wicked, fallen men and women.

In closing there is, however, at least one viable argument that could be made if one were to consider the fact that 2 Cor is a FOLLOW UP to 1 Cor in which case we can look back and see another possibility (one which I think may be in play in this whole dust up) which is that Ray’s attendance at the conference is causing his brothers and sisters who are weaker in the faith to stumble (1 Cor 10:27-28). In this case Ray’s appearance definitely is given scriptural grounds for pause, but in all other complaints that I’ve seen lodged thus far the charges are simply out of context non-sequiturs and unbiblical straw man arguments.

It would seem, therefore, that if one actually wanted to make a compelling case as to why Ray shouldn’t preach the gospel (or “appear with” or “share the platform with” or whatever) at the upcoming WoF conference then someone should write to him and tell him that they’re weak in their faith and it will cause them to stumble if he does so.

A Response to: "CONCERNING RAY COMFORT AND WORD FAITH WOLVES".

The Power of the Gospel

2008-07-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

"But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." - Exodus 7:12

This incident is an instructive emblem of the sure victory of the divine handiwork over all opposition. Whenever a divine principle is cast into the heart, though the devil may fashion a counterfeit, and produce swarms of opponents, as sure as ever God is in the work, it will swallow up all its foes. If God's grace takes possession of a man, the world's magicians may throw down all their rods; and every rod may be as cunning and poisonous as a serpent, but Aaron's rod will swallow up their rods. The sweet attractions of the cross will woo and win the man's heart, and he who lived only for this deceitful earth will have an eye for the upper spheres, and a wing to mount into celestial heights. When grace has won the day the worldling seeks the world to come. The same fact is to be observed in the life of the believer. What multitudes of foes has our faith had to meet! Our old sins - the devil threw them down before us, and they turned to serpents. What hosts of them! Ah, but the cross of Jesus destoys them all. Faith in Christ makes short work of all our sins. Then the devil has launched forth another host of serpents in the form of worldly trials, temptations, unbelief; but faith in Jesus is more than a match for them, and overcomes them all. The same absorbing principle shines in the faithful service of God! With an enthusiastic love for Jesus difficulties are surmounted, sacrifices become pleasures, sufferings are honors. But if religion is thus a consuming passion in the heart, then it follows that there are many persons who profess religion but have it not; for what they have will not bear this test. Examine yourself, my reader, on this point. Aaron's rod proved its heavengiven power. Is your religion doing so? If Christ be anything He must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions of your soul!

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon

Exposing Error: Scala Santa

2008-06-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I left the following comment over at DefCon after reading a post entitled The Idolatry of Rome - The "Scala Santa". Let's just say that the idolatry of Rome is so ubiquitous as to totally eclipse any and all claims their apologists might like to make towards their being anything even remotely akin to the historic, orthodox Christian faith. The Roman Catholic Church is a demonic caricature of the true church of Jesus Christ, the Body of Christ, the church invisible comprised of all those who have been purchased by His shed blood having received the indescribable gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ and Christ alone - the REAL Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible, not the false christ of the RCC. Methinks the RCC is pretty much what the Mormons would look like if - by God's incredible restraint alone - their false cult were allowed to continue to evolve and metastasize for two thousand more years.

In response to the afore-linked article I wrote the following:

Abomination!
Blasphemy!!
Anathema!!!

The Romish whore and everything she stands for is fit for absolutely nothing but being cast back into the blackened pit from whence it arose.

I can scarcely imagine a more overt or perverse evil than the usurping of God’s glory of which Mystery Babylon - the fountainhead of all idolatry - is guilty of attempting with all her demonic power and cunning and shrewd deception every minute of every hour of every day! Hers is the very height and the distilled essence of Satanic hubris and wickedness for her aim is ever to exalt her throne above that of God Almighty!

But oh how low shall she be brought when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns to earth in great glory and power rendering judgment and justice to the powers and principalities of this fallen, sin sick and corrupted world system! In that day there will be two camps and all will be divided into the sheep and the goats, and those hell spawned rebels, the sons and daughters of Satan who have worshipped the Baals and Ashterahs of their own depraved hearts will find themselves cast into the everlasting lake of fire as the heavens rejoice: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” - Rev. 19:1-2.

James Sundquist Open Letter to Rick Warren and Erik Rees

2008-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

In my view James Sundquist correctly handled Rick Warren's recent and duplicitous offer of a poison tipped olive branch by responding with an utterly devastating open letter to the Arch-Fiend and Heretic Rick Warren and his false prophet Erik Rees exposing them for what they are: Deceivers in desperate need of repentance!

I pray that you'll take a moment to read through Sundquist's letter and review his copious and verifiable documentation which exposes the shameful and deceitful tactics of the Purpose Driven Puppet-master Warren.

DON'T BE DECEIVED ANOTHER SECOND ABOUT RICK WARREN!!! HE IS AN APOSTATE FALSE TEACHER, A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING WITH A CROCODILE'S REPTILIAN SMILE ON HIS FACE AND A SPRING IN HIS STEP AS HE MERCILESSLY GOES ABOUT RENDING CHRIST'S LITTLE FLOCK!!!

James Sundquist statement on Rick Warrens invitation

The Value of Exposing Error

2008-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

"Exposing error is most unpopular work. But from every true standpoint it is worthwhile work. To our Savior, it means that He receives from us, His blood-bought ones, the loyalty that is His due. To ourselves, if we consider “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt,” it ensures future reward, a thousand-fold. And to souls “caught in the snare of the fowler”-how many of them God only knows-it may mean light and life, abundant and everlasting."

- Dr. Harry A. Ironside

See also: Dr. Harry Ironside: The Value of Exposing Error

HAT TIP: Slice of Laodicea

Signs, Wonders, Heresy and Love for God

2008-06-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

By John Piper - March 26, 2008

Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies?

From the time of Moses to the end of history, this has been and will be an issue. Jesus promised that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). These are not little tricks. They are great signs and wonders. Great. But aimed to deceive.

Paul said that “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). “Signs and wonders of falsehood” is a literal translation to show that the falseness of the signs and wonders is not that they aren’t real miracles, but that they lie about reality. They are real miracles, and they lead away from Christ.

Similarly, to the end of the history—especially at the end of history—false teaching and heresies will dog the church. “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4.3-4).

At the other end of history, things have been this way from the time of Moses. And it is Moses who answers our two questions: Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies? Here’s the key passage:

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, “Let us go after other gods,” which you have not known, “and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

Notice five things:

First, Moses tells us that signs and wonders in the service of heresy really happen. They are not tricks. “If a prophet . . . gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass. . . .” They really do come to pass. It is not smoke and mirrors. These are supernatural, but not in the service of truth.

Second, some miracle workers aim to draw believers away from the true God. “If he says, ‘Let us go after other gods . . .’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet.” In other words, some heresies (“let us go after other gods”) are endorsed with miraculous signs and wonders.

Third, God has a design in these deceptive signs and wonders, and he has purposes for the heresies they support. He mentions one of these designs and purposes: “For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” When temptation happens from man, a test is happening from God. This is God’s design in the deceptive signs and heresies.

Fourth, love for God is what God is testing. “Your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Fifth, I conclude from this that the heart that loves God sees through miraculous deception. Love for God is not based mainly on miraculous power. It is based on seeing through miraculous power to true divine beauty. Therefore, love for God is a powerful protection against heresy, even when it comes with miraculous confirmation.

Understanding these five things from Deuteronomy 13:1-3 helps protect us from deceptive signs and wonders and from heresies. But understanding is not enough.Love for God is both the aim of God’s testing and the means by which his tests are passed. Understanding awakens us to our need to love him. But love for God sees through deceptive signs and wonders to the falsehood they support and flees to Christ.Love for God sees through the heresy and holds fast to him. May God deepen our love to him so that it has this kind of penetrating, protecting power.

© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Rick Warren Says “Great Spiritual Awakening” Coming

2008-06-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

In the piece linked below Pastor Ken Silva unmasks the man-centered works righteousness quantum leap which Satan's premier mouthpiece, Rick Warren, has been plotting for untold years now. As though guided by an unseen demonic hand the the devil's most useful and eager puppet, tool, and dupe Rick Warren gleefully dances to the pied piper's siren song and in the process is leading countless thousands (millions?) of unsuspecting souls astray! I encourage you to take the time to thoroughly peruse the important and well documented information supplied by Ken Silva:

Dr. Tom Nettles, Professor of Historical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has rightly said:

Pushing aside important [doctrinal] differences makes the church more energetic about a moralism focused on man than true piety focused on God. This in turn creates a pragmatism, and eventually a relativism, that will destroy the love of truth and with it the sense of oughtness that gives perseverance to righteous action.

This article at Apprising Ministries will help you see that this is precisely the flawed man-centered methodology that Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren is currently pontificating. The latest PD Encyclical from Warren in “Ministry Toolbox” at his Pastors.com informs us that he believes, "A great spiritual awakening is on the horizon…[and t]he first reformation focused on what the church believed; this one will focus on what it does… As the church, we’re called to be the body of Christ – the whole body. "

But I have already shown you, e.g. in Rick Warren Reversing the Reformation, that Warren—in complete contradistinction to “what the church believed” in the Protestant Reformation—includes the apostate Roman Catholic Church in “the body of Christ” of which he is speaking above. And not only does Warren include apostate Roman Catholicism but as you can see in the AM piece Rick Warren and Jesus he also includes apostate mainline denominations long ago killed by what Southern Baptist Bible scholar Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) called The Cult of Liberal Theology.3

HAT TIP: Christian Research Net

The Love God Hates: Parts 1, 2 & 3

2008-06-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

"The Bible is clear that God is a God of love. I doubt that anyone familiar with Christianity would argue that point. The apostle John emphasizes God's love in his epistle. For example, in 1 John 4:7-8 we read, "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Verse 11 says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." And verse 16 says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

Continue reading The Love God Hates: Part 1

"First John 2:12-17 discusses the subject of love. However, it isn't the kind of love that is honoring to God; rather it is a love that He hates. The apostle John says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (v. 15). The meaning of the term "world" in this context refers to the system of evil that dominates the earth. Christians are not to love that system because it is inconsistent with their love for the Father. First John 5:19 says that the whole world lies in control of the wicked one. It conveys the picture of a nurse cradling a child. The whole world is cradled in the arms of Satan. Christians are not citizens of this world; we are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). Although we exist in the Satanically inspired system that dominates man's society, we are not to love it because it is corrupt (2 Pet. 1:4) and godless (1 John 2:16)."

Continue reading The Love God Hates: Part 2

"The New Testament uses the term world in different ways. Originally the term had two basic meanings: the planet, and the people. But once man rebelled against God, he forfeited his right to rule the planet God gave him to rule. In effect, man sold the title deed of the world, which fell into the control of Satan. In his short-sighted desire to be an autonomous being, man sold his birthright to the world to Satan for the knowledge of good and evil, much like Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for something to eat (Gen. 25:27-34). Adam and Eve ate of the tree, following Satan's desires. At that point, Satan gained the rulership of the world, and the term world took on a third meaning: the evil system opposed to God that now dominates this planet. The system that Satan began will continue to develop up to the time period known as the Great Tribulation."

Continue reading The Love God Hates: Part 3

Is it well with my soul?

2008-06-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Is it well with my soul? As professing Christians we’d like to think so, and certainly the false religionists would like to think so as well. The hearts of sinful men are hopelessly and incurably religious so much so that even when men think themselves to be irreligious they are still found to hold to superstitions and vain imaginings of a religious nature deep within their heart of hearts. Sinful man is also a master of self deception. This self deception causes men to hold to various forms of the one false religion of human merit and achievement which stands over and against the one true and pure religion of God’s merit and achievement in Christ which is commonly known as Biblical Christianity.

Self deception is a frightening and spiritually fatal delusion and we can see from scripture that humans are found to be under its deadly sway both individually and corporately. In Matthew 7:21-23 we find the terrifying passage wherein the Lord is rebuking a group of humans who proclaim Him as Lord, but whom He denies having ever known. Clearly the Risen Savior’s omniscience isn’t in question here so it must be understood that He is not claiming to not know who these people are, rather He’s proclaiming that He never knew them in a personal, saving covenantal relationship as their Kinsman Redeemer. What are these lost souls guilty of? What has brought eternal condemnation upon them? In its context the passage tells us that they are guilty lawbreakers; in fact they are condemned as being lawless. “But”, the professing Christian might argue, “Christians are no longer under the law, we are set free of the guilt of the law in Christ Jesus.” This is true, but this truth only applies if the person claiming Christ is an actual true, regenerate, invisible church professing Christian as opposed to a false, unregenerate, worldly, carnal, convenient, cultural, visible church professing “Christian”. The former group is obedient to the commands of Christ and the latter group is disobedient. The difference herein is literally the difference between daylight and dark and inspired scripture teaches this stark and profound truth over and over again (Luke 6:46).

Corporate self deception is just as pernicious and deadly, perhaps even more so, than individual self deception. Unregenerate sinful mankind is in a constant state of fear and denial and he has discovered that “group think” often eases the guilty, nagging conscience that his Creator placed within him which ever wags an accusing finger in his face declaring: GUILTY! GUILTY!! GUILTY!!! False religion can indeed offer temporary solace, soothing the guilty conscience of sinful man. All the various streams of the one false religion offer the same empty promises to their deceived adherents – do this or that; follow this teaching or the other; keep the rules; be “moral” and “kind”; abstain from “evil” and do “good” that you might earn favor and enter into paradise as your reward. This is, as previously mentioned, the foundational premise of every form of the one false religion of human merit and achievement. It says, in effect, you can be good enough to merit rewards in the afterlife. And isn’t it interesting that even the false religions admit the afterlife; the Creator of man has stamped eternity in man’s heart and try as he may he simply can’t escape it! Of course Christians have few qualms about the deception running rampant outside the professing church, but inside the church? Surely not! Yet the One True and Living God tells us in His Holy Word that even so-called Christian churches that claim His name can be fraught with error and filled with self deception. In Revelation 3:1 we find that Sardis is DEAD and a little further along in Revelation 3:17 we discover that Laodicea, while thinking herself to be high and lifted up was in God’s eyes wretched, miserable, blind, poor and naked! These are frightening examples of corporate self deception run amok!

So what is the Christian to do? If he can’t trust himself knowing the heart is desperately wicked above all things, and he can’t trust in church leadership since he might find himself in Sardis or Laodicea where can he turn? The simple and straightforward answer is the eminently objective and forthright Word of God, the Holy Bible in fervent prayer and all humility.

Many people read books but The Holy Bible is the only book in the world that reads you.

Many people mark their books but The Holy Bible is the only book that marks you.

True Bible believing Christians are to welcome God’s Word and be quick both to HEAR and to DO His word by faith. In fact true Bible believing Christians not only HEAR God’s Word, they RECEIVE it with all joy! True Bible believing Christians RECEIVE God’s Word by faith and they DO God’s Word by faith and the doing is the evidence of the receiving (James 1:22; John 14:23-24; John 15:14; 1 John 2:3-4). According to the Holy Bible we know that we’ve come to know Jesus Christ IF we keep His commandments! By this we can infer that if we profess to know Him and don’t keep His commandments then we make Him out to be a LIAR! This is the gross sin and damnable error of the aforementioned group we found in Matt. 7:21-23; they made Jesus Christ out to be a liar by practicing lawlessness which is against His commandment! This is no light matter. This is a matter of the utmost importance. This is a subject for deep, personal examination in the light of inspired scripture (2 Cor. 13:5).

The true, regenerate, born-again Christian will demonstrate – as a pattern of life – a radical Christ centered attitude that will reject this fallen world’s system with just as much zeal as it pursues personal holiness and purity. The true, regenerate, born-again Christian will exhibit an attitude of humble obedience to the Lord and the evidence of this humility will invariably be manifest in the DOING of His Word. In fact it can be argued from scripture that failure to DO the Word is evidence of not having RECEIVED the Word.

Let me interject something right here and now; I AM NOT ADVOCATING NOR HAVE I EVER ADVOCATED SALVATION BY WORKS! Salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and is the unmerited gift of God alone lest any man should boast. Salvation is of the Lord and Him alone. He alone seeks and saves undeserving and wretched sinners or else no one would be saved at all! The works I’m describing herein are the evidence and fruit of salvation; bearing fruit is the evidence of saving faith and it should never be thought of the other way around.

But what of the law? If Christians aren’t under the law, then why so much banter about the law, and lawlessness, and all that other stuff? What’s really going on with all these "obedience to commandments" passages and references to the law? The truth is that according to the Lord Jesus Christ not one jot nor tittle – literally the smallest pen stroke – of the law will by any means ever pass away. In fact the Lord claims that it would be easier for the world to pass away than for any portion of the Word of God to pass away. God’s Word is eternal, immutable and perfect. Everything He has declared will stand the test of eternity. God Himself created time and is outside time and stands uniquely, sovereignly, and preeminently over all things. His Word will by no means ever fail and His every utterance is an absolutely righteous and holy decree that will echo authoritatively throughout all eternity!

God’s Word speaks with an absolute authority to which all men are accountable. In the Bible the law of God is described as being “perfect”. True regenerate born again Christians are advised to diligently inspect the perfect law that we might, by God’s power alone, be conformed unto His perfect law which is for true believers the law of the liberty of Christ. In fact liberty in Christ is the perfect law (John 8:31-32) and in it is freedom from sin (John 8:34-36). He who is not found to be abiding in the Son is found to be enslaved to sin.

Friend, what is your estate today? The Holy Bible teaches us that it is possible to be self deceived about our true spiritual condition. Furthermore the Bible teaches us that it is possible for entire churches to be self deceived about the corporate spiritual health of the congregation, deacons, elders and even the pastor. Do you and your church manifest the change of heart that is evidence of a pure and undefiled religion, or is it a worthless religion of pagan idolatry? There are only two options since as we’ve demonstrated there are only really two religions. Which is your estate today? It’s so easy to underestimate the utter filthiness and wretchedness in our own lives and the gravity and seriousness of ALL of our sins and trespasses!

Are you separate from the world or are you friends with the world? Friendship with the world is enmity with God.

Do you by Christ’s power alone keep yourself unspotted from the fallen and perverse system of this sin sick and dying world or do you easily fit in?

Are you diligently on guard against the wiles and corruptions of the enemy, or do you fall in with the crowd and “go with the flow”?

Friend ask yourself if your religion is pure and undefiled because if it is not then you are likely self deceived and your religion is corrupted, worthless, empty and utterly futile and in the Lord’s eyes you are guilty of idolatry. Is it well with your soul?

A prayer: Lord teach us to be humble before you. Break us, shape us, mold us, make us oh Lord into your very image. Help us oh God to cling to the blood soaked cross of Jesus Christ and to be diligent to earnestly study, prayerfully receive and joyfully do your Word. Make us sensitive to our sin oh God! Reveal our hidden and secret sins that we might flee from them in holy terror and be found secure and at peace in Your everlasting arms of love. Amen.

Paul Washer: Declaring Truth

2008-06-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Paul Washer addresses the psychological manipulation involved in the “altar call.”

Beloved

HAT TIP: Christian Research Network & DefCon

Creflo Dollar's "Angel Power Confe$$ion"

2008-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 "But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." - Isaiah 14:12-14

"And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth..." - Rev. 12:3-4

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," - Matt. 25:41

"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," - 2 Pet. 2:4.
"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day," - Jude 6

"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him," - Rev. 12:9

Not one to be outdone by the competition for filthy lucre from Todd Bentley and his ilk in the "Next Big God Thing" Lying Signs and Wonders Movement Creflo Dollar has ratcheted up his occult rhetoric by claiming that he too has the power to command angels! One can't help but realize that the occultist claims this exact same ability, but even the occultist is frequently honest enough to admit that his "angels" so-called are actually fallen and demonic beings instead of blasphemously pretending to have the ability manipulate and command God's holy and elect angels (1 Tim. 5:21)! This my friends is a testimony to the longsuffering and patience of the One True and Living God of the Holy Bible that He doesn't instantly consume and utterly destroy sinful men who publicly make such painfully wicked claims!

I'm constantly amazed by the games of spiritual one upsmanship that these spiritual hucksters play against one another and upon their meal tickets; their deceived itching ears adherents; fools who evidently simply can't be parted with their money fast enough just so long as they're told that they're "sowing a seed" so that they can "reap a harvest" of mammon - the master whom they truly serve.

There's a reason that inspired scripture teaches about men being driven about by every wind of doctrine because that's precisely what happens when sinful man chases after the lust of the flesh and the eyes, reveling in the pride of life; all while portraying a false humility which is utterly loathsome and repulsive to the One True and Living God who prefers obedience to sacrifice. The doctrines of demons buffet and drive these rudderless vessels that aren't stayed and anchored securely upon the Rock of Christ Jesus. These blind followers of the blind are driven, manipulated, bilked, duped, and destroyed in pursuit of earthly pleasures under the guise of "health, wealth, and prosperity" - so called. Of course the common retort is "Hey it works!" (to which I reply so does witchcraft), or "Touch not God's anointed" (to which I reply these false prophets should be thankful they're not living under the OT or else they'd be publicly thrown down and stoned), or "Abraham, David and Solomon were rich so if you don't want to claim your blessing that's fine, but I'm going to get mine!", (to which I'd reply, uh, yeah, so what does the Old Covenant have to do with the New Covenant in Christ? Nothing!) or perhaps my personal favorite self-righteous justification for chasing after the things of this fallen and corrupted world system, "You need money to be a blessing to others so the more money you have the more of a blessing you can be!". It's here that I usually simply point to Jesus Christ who had no place to lay His head and His apostles who (with the exception of the son of perdition and the beloved apostle John) were all martyred at the hands of the fallen world system the WoF'ers are busily chasing after; but then the WoF apologists will simply lie and say something asinine like "Jesus was so rich that He needed a treasurer!" Clearly some hearts are very, very hardened to the truth of the Eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With this in mind P.J. Miller has an interesting piece on Creflo Dollar and "his" angels over at Sola Dei Gloria:

"It looks like angel invoking isn’t isolated to Todd Bentley alone. Creflo Dollar seems to think angels are slaves who are under service to us. Since when do we command angels to do such things as bring us wealth? Angels are God’s messengers, and operate under that authority. Yet, Dollar would have us believe that we can command them at will to bring us such vulgar things as earthly riches…filthy lucre…mammon.

Didn’t Jesus tell us not to strive for the bread that corrupts, but to strive for the bread that will not corrupt? Didn’t He tell us not to lay up for ourselves treasure upon the earth where moth and rust corrupts?"

Continue reading here.

Notable Quotes

2008-05-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

“The king also himself passed over the brook of Kidron.” - 2 Samuel 15:23

David passed that gloomy brook when flying with his mourning company from his traitor son. The man after God's own heart was not exempt from trouble, nay, his life was full of it. He was both the Lord's Anointed, and the Lord's Afflicted. Why then should we expect to escape? At sorrow's gates the noblest of our race have waited with ashes on their heads, wherefore then should we complain as though some strange thing had happened to us?

The KING of kings himself was not favored with a more cheerful or royal road. He passed over the filthy ditch of Kidron, through which the filth of Jerusalem flowed. God had one Son without sin, but not a single child without the rod. It is a great joy to believe that Jesus has been tempted in all points as we are. What is our Kidron this morning? Is it a faithless friend, a sad bereavement, a slanderous reproach, a dark foreboding? The King has passed over all these. Is it bodily pain, poverty, persecution, or contempt? Over each of these Kidrons the King has gone before us. "In all our afflictions He was afflicted." The idea of strangeness in our trials must be banished at once and forever, for He who is the Head of all saints, knows by experience the grief which we think so peculiar. All the citizens of Zion must be free of the Honorable Company of Mourners, of which the Prince Immanuel is Head and Captain.

Notwithstanding the abasement of David, he yet returned in triumph to his city, and David's Lord arose victorious from the grave; let us then be of good courage, for we also shall win the day. We shall yet with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation, though now for a season we have to pass by the noxious streams of sin and sorrow. Courage, soldiers of the Cross, the King himself triumphed after going over Kidron, and so shall you.

This devotional was taken from “Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

Apostasy Now!

2008-05-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Friends I’m convinced that the great last days apostasy has fallen upon the broader professing church. With the combination of the emergent/emerging idolatry of doubt, the Word of Faith blasphemy against our Lord, the rise of ecumenism among the heretical Roman Catholic Church and apostatizing Evangelicals, the Purpose Driven Madness of the Warrenites, the Seeker Sensitive man-centered church of self esteem, the lying signs and wonders movement, and the inroads that New Age thought have made into the church it’s my firm conviction that we are witnessing, on a broad scale, the great falling away prophesied in scripture.

Now I’m no prophet and I’m not pretending to have any “new light” about the events of our day, I’m merely relaying what I believe to be the Old Truth that was laid down for the benefit of those who are called by the Name of the Lord.

Consider the following from Herescope:

Throughout this inter-advent age–the time between Jesus’ Incarnation and Second Coming, or Parousia–Jesus and John warned that false prophets would arise preaching the doctrine of replacement christs (Matthew 24:5, 23-24; 1 John 2:18). As Jesus’ coming draws nearer, and as pictured by the image of Messiah’s birth pangs, we can expect that oracular announcements of anti-christs by the false prophets will multiply and proliferate. Some of these false messiahs will even work deceptive “signs and wonders” (Mark 13:8, 21-22). During this age Jesus warned: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (Matthew 24:23-26, KJV).

Continue reading here.

Unmasking the Pope and the Catholic System

2008-05-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

Pastor John MacArthur leaves a smoldering crater where the lies and deceptions of the Roman Catholic Church used to stand in this devastating expose of the utterly corrupt, false, and damnable religious system known as Roman Catholicism.

Turn up your speakers and listen here!

On Unbelief

2008-05-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

In John 9:13-34 we see an amazing demonstation of the Lord Jesus Christ’s manifest deity as He literally and spiritually fashioned “new eyes” for a congenitally blind man. This was a miracle par excellence that was unheard of in all Israel and which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ was Lord and Messiah, the very light of the world. It’s also worth noting that Israel was arguably the most religious people group living in the world at that time just as the argument could be made that ultra-Orthodox Jews are the most religious people group living in the world today - outwardly religious that is.

The Jews of Christ’s day benefitted from having primary access to the very oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2), and thus they ought to have recognized Jesus as Messiah, yet the scripture record is clear and indisputable in its teaching of what the Jews thought of Christ.

They hated Him.

They feared Him.

They rejected Him.

They murdered Him.

As Christians we can understand that all these things constituted the unfolding of God’s own foreordained prophetic plan of the ages, and we rejoice in the fact that Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected on the third day as a propitiation for the sins of all those who would believe on Him by grace through faith alone, being thereby miraculously translated from spiritual death unto spiritual life to the praise of God’s magnificent glory forevermore! His resurrection is a sure and trustworthy promise of a future resurrection for those who are found in Him. His eternal life is the assurance of our future eternal life as we abide in Him. His glorification is our glorification as members of His mystical Body - the bride of Christ, the church invisible which is comprised of living stones that Jesus Christ has redeemed through His atoning work, bringing salvation to every kingdom, tribe, tongue and nation under heaven.

Yet why was He rejected by His own? Why did the vast majority of Jewry conspire and consent to murder their King? The short and ugly answer is UNBELIEF. From his study bible John MacArthur well said:

The story of the healing of the blind man in John 9:13-34 reveals some key characteristics of willful unbelief: 1.) unbelief sets false standards; 2.) unbelief always wants more evidence but never has enough; 3.) unbelief does biased research on a purely subjective basis; 4.) unbelief rejects the facts; and 5.) unbelief is self-centered.

Willful and fixed unbelief is the hallmark of the unregenerate heart. The unredeemed cannot and will not assent to the hard truths and hard commands of Jesus Christ. Through their a priori rejection of the truth claims of the Holy Bible and their stubborn hard heartedness unrepentant sinners will gladly commit epistemic suicide in order to avoid a confrontation with the One True and Living God of the Holy Bible, the infinite Creator and Judge of the universe. The unregenerate will allow for any number of explanations from the mundane to the wildly absurd, just so long as the explanation isn’t the God of Christian theism. The unregenerate will entertain ideas that man was placed on earth by a terraforming alien race, but they won’t accept the truth that they are morally accountable to a Holy and Righteous God. The unregenerate will allow for any number of deaf and dumb idols to be worshipped and adored, but they can’t tolerate the fact that they are in bondage to their own depravity and wickedness and that they abide under the wrath of God Almighty and are utterly hopeless apart from the finished work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, upon a rugged and sinister Roman cross nearly 2,000 years ago.

The heathen rage and howl at these unspeakably glorious truths, but I fall down on my face in awe and praise before the King of Glory. What love is this? What God is this? What hope is this? It is the hope born in a heart that was once in unbelief. It is evidence that Jesus Christ rules and reigns from heaven, doing as He pleases that He would condescend to save a wretched lump of sin like me. My limited human capacity for words to describe what He has done in my heart fail me. I can’t sum it up and I can’t spell it out. I’m at a loss except to say that He is everything to me. He is my all in all. There is no desire He can’t fill, there is no grief He can’t comfort, there is no hope He can’t exceed, there is no want He can’t meet, there is nothing He can’t do and without Him I can do nothing.

Friend, do you know the true Jesus Christ as He has revealed Himself uniquely within the Holy Bible? Does your guilty conscience constantly wag an accusing finger at you crying out “GUILTY! GUILTY!! GUILTY!!!” wherever you may go or attempt to flee? If so, then hear the words of the Savior, the only One who can cure your fatal disease known as sin:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28

Evangelizing the Church

2008-05-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

Does The Christian Church Need To Be Evangelized?
The visible Christian church is no longer a sanctuary for the people of God. Instead, it has become a huge mission field that needs to be evangelized. Churches are now filled with professing Christians who say they have faith but have never been born of God. This should not surprise us because of the parable Jesus gave describing the last days in Matthew 13:25-43. He spoke of a landowner who sowed good seed [sons of the kingdom] in his field, but while his men were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed tares [sons of the devil]. Jesus said the landowner is the Son of Man and the enemy is the devil.

Continue reading "Does The Christian Church Need To Be Evangelized?" here.

Spurgeon on the Trinity

2008-05-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Acquaint now thyself with Him - Job 22:21

If we would rightly "acquaint ourselves with God and be at peace", we must know Him as He has revealed Himself, not only in the unity of His essence, but also in the plurality of His persons. God said, "Let us make man in our own image" - let not man be content until he knows something of the "us" from whom his being was derived. Endeavor to know the Father; bury your head in His bosom in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be called His son; receive the kiss of His love; let the ring which is the token of His eternal faithfulness be on your finger; sit at His table and let your heart make merry in His grace. Then press forward and seek to know much of the Son of God who is the brightness of His Father's glory, and yet in unspeakable condescension of grace became a man for our sakes; know Him in the singular complexity of His nature: eternal God, and yet suffering, finite man; follow Him as He walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as He sits upon the well in the weariness of humanity. Be not satisfied unless you know much of Jesus Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your all. Forget not the Holy Spirit; endeavor to obtain a clear view of His nature and character, His attributes, and His works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos, and brought forth order; who now visits the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold Him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. Behold Him as, like holy unction, He descends upon the head of Jesus, and then afterward rests upon you who are as the skirts of His garments. Such an intelligent, scriptural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity is yours if you truly know God; and such knowledge brings peace indeed.

This devotion was taken from Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon.

God is God

2008-05-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

God is the decider and the determiner of every man's destiny, the controller of every detail in every individual's life, which is another way of saying, "He is God."

- John MacArthur

Spurgeon on Sanctification

2008-04-28T18:42:00.001-07:00

Thou art my hope in the day of evil (Jeremiah 17:17)

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day," yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green pastures" by the side of the "still waters", but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen." Oh! Say not so, thou who are walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of His children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotton bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

The Devil's Apostle

2008-04-26T21:51:00.001-07:00

"The Pope is the very Antichrist who has exalted himself above and opposed himself against Christ because he will not permit Christians to be saved. It is nothing else than the devil himself because above and against God he urges and disseminates his Papal falsehoods concerning Masses, Purgatory, the monastic life, one's own works, fictitious divine worship which is the very Papacy and condemns, murders and tortures all Christians who do not exalt and honor these abominations of the Pope above all things, therefore just as little as we can worship the devil himself as Lord and God, we can endure his apostle the Pope. For to lie and to kill and destroy body and soul eternally, that is wherein his Papal government really consists." - Martin Luther

Excerpt from The Pope and The Papacy by John MacArthur.

Salvation is of The Lord

2008-04-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

"Salvation is of the Lord." That is just an epitome of Calvinism; it is the sum and substance of it. If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I should reply, "He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord." I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible. "He only is my rock and my salvation." Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be a heresy; tell me a heresy, and I shall find its essence here, that it has departed from this great, this fundamental, this rock-truth, "God is my rock and my salvation." What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ—the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of Arminianism but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? Every heresy, if brought to the touchstone, will discover itself here. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor. —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Excerpt taken from a sermon titled "A Defense of Calvinism" by C. H. Spurgeon

HAT TIP: The Bororean

The Compromise of Ravi Zacharias and the "NDP Committee"

2008-04-24T19:06:00.001-07:00

Below is an e-mail exchange that was prompted by Ingrid Schlueter's coverage of the upcoming "National Day of Prayer", and specifically upon the "National Day of Prayer Committee" which is headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson. This group is supposedly "Christian", and supposedly "evangelical", but in practice it is evidently neither.

From Slice of Laodicea:

Dr. Zacharias’ official prayer on the organization’s website, both in print and in audio form, carefully does not mention the name of Jesus Christ. Instead, the phrase, “In God’s Holy Name, Amen” is substituted. I learned that this was not an accidental slip, an oversight or a mistake. I called the organization in Colorado Springs yesterday and was told that the omission was deliberate so as not to offend Jewish participants at some of the events around the country.

Here is the e-mail exchange between myself and John Bornschein:

From: Coram Deo (axeroot@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thu 4/24/08 12:37 PM
To: correspondence@nationaldayofprayer.org

Greetings,

I would just like to state that I am shocked and appalled that the name of the Risen Savior Jesus Christ does not appear in the prayer by Dr. Ravi Zacharias that's posted on the official NDP website. This is ecumenical madness and in my mind represents at best an ill advised capitulation to the Christ rejecting spirit of this fallen world and at worst an all out attack on the eternal Gospel.

I'm sickened by this shameless, gutless display and believe an apology and an explanation are due for this grossest of omissions. How does the Bible say we are to pray? We are to pray to the Father in the name of His only begotten and eternal Son. What is the only begotten and eternal Son's name? Evidently we ought not seek the answer to this question from Ravi Zacharias or the NDP team.

I'm praying for your organization to find its way in the Name of Jesus Christ.
CD

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Subject: Prayer for our Nation by Ravi Zacharias
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:33:00 -0600
From: John.Bornschein@fotf.org
To: coordinators@nationaldayofprayer.org

It’s been brought to our attention that Ingrid Schlueter, host of the national Crosstalk radio program and chief architect of the SliceofLaodicea.com Web site, has been spreading malicious reports about the National Day of Prayer, NDP Task Force Chairman Shirley Dobson, and Dr. Ravi Zacharias, our NDP 2008 Honorary Chairman. According to Ms. Schlueter, Dr. Zacharias is “refusing to pray in the name of Jesus Christ in his prayer posted on the official NDP Web site,” and is thus liable to the charge of being “ashamed” of Jesus and “capitulating to unscriptural, interfaith ecumenism.” Much as we regret the necessity of countenancing such comments with a response, Ms. Schlueter has left us without a choice. Her scurrilous accusations demand a reply.

There are three things that need to be said in answer to this unfortunate campaign of defamation. In the first place, no one who knows anything about Ravi Zacharias and his fearless defense of the Christian faith could possibly come to the conclusion that he is “ashamed of Jesus Christ.” Dr. Zacharias is one of the most respected, most effective, and most uncompromising Christian apologists in the world today. His love for the Lord is beyond question. His ministry speaks for itself. We can’t possibly add anything to the eloquent testimony of his dedicated service to the Savior.

Second, for those who are aware of the history of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, there can be no doubt about our evangelical perspective. Our Mission Statement and our Vision and Values Statement, as posted on the official NDP Web site (http://www.ndptf.org/about/index.cfm), state that the Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible. Calling ourselves a Judeo-Christian ministry does not mean that we see the Jewish and Christian faiths on equal footing. The Task Force was established to represent the Christian expression of the National Day of Prayer – standing firmly for Jesus and His salvation message. We believe in the values, traditions, and moral law of God's Old Testament Bible – but we, unlike those of the Jewish faith – trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Messiah.

Third and last, it is worth adding that, from a scriptural perspective, there is a great deal more to the idea of “praying in Jesus’ name” than Ms. Schlueter seems to recognize. In the culture of the Bible, a person’s “name” was regarded as shorthand for everything the person embodied and represented. To make a request or issue a command “in the name of” a particular individual was to speak with the full backing of that individual’s power, authority, virtue, and integrity. “Praying in Jesus’ name,” then, is not a question of tacking on a few particular words at the end of a prayer, as if they constituted some kind of “magic formula.” It’s a matter of heart orientation. To “pray in Jesus’ name” is to profess that we are authorized to come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) not on the basis of our own merits, but solely because of His righteousness, His goodness, and the efficacy of His sacrifice on the cross. You can be absolutely sure that when Dr. Zacharias prays, he prays on the basis of this confidence alone.

In closing, we’d like to say that we deeply regret that this unfounded attack by fellow believers might in any way detract from the importance of Christians praying for their nation on May 1st.

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From: Coram Deo (axeroot@hotmail.com)
Sent: Thu 4/24/08 8:57 PM
To: Bornschein, John (john.bornschein@fotf.org)

Mr. Bornschein,

I almost wish you hadn't responded to my e-mail since in that case there would have remained some lingering doubt in my mind about the scurrilous and scandalous absence of the name of Jesus Christ from this supposedly "evangelical" event. Your reply has removed all doubt about the NDP's position on naming names when it comes to Jesus Christ - it's out of bounds. It's unwelcome. It's shameful. It's "divisive".

Yet as I recall Peter and the other believing ethnically Jewish, born again Christian apostles who comprised the early church were beaten, threatened, harassed, and martyred with the lone exception of the beloved apostle John. Their blood was shed for preaching the name of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Your canned response is excruciatingly unbiblical and the NDP's ecumenical madness remains without excuse. I personally believe the NDP organization is in desperate need of prayer and careful introspection in the light of inspired scripture as it drifts aimlessly toward rank apostasy and spiritual irrelevance.

In Christ,
CD

Pro-Gospel

2008-04-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

By their own admissions many reject God's account of creation as recorded in the book of Genesis, therefore I can only conclude that someone who rejects God's Word is in unbelief of God's Word. With this in mind I don't know what else to call someone in unbelief except for an unbeliever. Perhaps some would feel more comfortable if I called them agnostics, yet by definition an agnostic is still an unbeliever so we're back to square one.

In fact I think many are confused about what a Christian actually is. Consider that the demons in hell believe in the Creator and tremble. Are we to be satisfied with a demonic faith?

It doesn't take anything akin to saving faith to say, "Gee, you know the world is really complex and amazing and I think there must be a creator behind all of this". This is called natural revelation and is seen by all men everywhere. In fact in conjunction with his own conscience placed by God inside of him the natural revelation is constantly pointing an accusing finger at the unrepentant sinner and screaming GUILTY! GUILTY!! GUILTY!!!

Atheists stand over against natural revelation and attempt to suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness, yet the atheist and the unregenerate (i.e. not born-again) creationist stand on equal ground with respect to their unbelief and eternal condemnation lest they bend the knee to the Christian God as He has revealed Himself in the Holy Bible.

I utterly reject statements to the effect that "Measurable, observable physical evidence is the best attempt at countering the truth claims of evolutionary theory”. At the heart of this matter is depraved, sinful man's wholesale rejection of God; not anything like a lack of "evidence" for or against God. The evidence for God is overwhelming and indisputable, yet wicked men simply reject the evidence because they hate God and love their sin. In place of God they set up secular-humanistic, natural-materialistic idol gods in a vain effort to salve their seared consciences.

Since the fall in the garden men have, by nature, stopped their ears and ran screaming away from God as fast as they can because of their depraved, wicked, unregenerate and invariably sinful natures.

Nothing like evidence for the existence of God is a cure for unbelief. Instead the Eternal Gospel is the singular solution to culture and unbelief, even the type of unbelief that's masked as intellectualism and science.

Therefore the worldlings can have their worldly wisdom so-called. They can confer diplomas and bestow titles upon one another and call each other "Doctor", and "Professor" until they turn blue in the face and turn back into the dust from whence they came; but God Almighty has seen fit to make the wisdom of this world foolishness by the preaching of the cross.

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty - 1 Corinthians 1:27

Each and every time professing Christians seek after the world's approval and esteem it results in apostasy, heresy, rank idolatry and finally unbelief...every time! Compromise with the world has always been the evil key that unlocks the door to the sad and predictable demise of God's people in every age.

Am I anti-evolution? Am I anti-intellectualism? Am I anti-consensus? Am I being divisive? Some would say so, and I would accept that I am guilty as charged, but I would of course choose a more positive frame of reference for my position -- I'm pro-Gospel.

There Are Only Two Religions

2008-04-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

There are only two religions; one is the true religion which proclaims the salvation of the One True and Living God made available by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone - the eternal Son - as uniquely revealed within the Holy Bible. This pure religion is commonly known as orthodox, historical, Biblical Christianity.

The other religion is the man centered works righteousness false religion of Satan the enemy which in fact encompasses every other false religion by any name, doctrine, or creed that professes or proclaims anything other than the the orthodox, historical Biblical Christian faith.

HAT TIP: fourpointer at DefCon courtesy of Symphony of Scripture

The Rank Idolatry of the RCC

2008-04-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share the following comment I placed in the meta of another blog in response to a drunkenly indoctrinated adherent of the works-righteousness false religion known as Roman Catholicism. I posted this response after a papist named "Karl" dismissed any hint of a problem with a repulsively idolatrous hymn written about and sung for the Pontiff of Rome.

Karl and I had been discussing the ground rules for an engagement to juxtapose the true universal (catholic) church of Christ and the imposter Roman Catholic Church, however after Karl's demonstration of willful blindness about the utter inappropriateness of worshipping, praising, magnifying, and glorifying a sinful man I'm not sure there's much hope for progress in any other area.

At any rate below is my response to Karl's dismissive rejection of any criticism of worshipping the Pope:

Coram Deo Says:
April 20, 2008 at 3:42 pm

Of these lyrics:
Long Live The Pope: A Hymn for the Pope

Long live the Pope!
His praises sound
Again and yet again:
His rule is over space and time:
His throne the heart of men:
All hail! The Shepherd Pope of Rome,
The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing
And heav’n the strain prolong…

Karl said: the lyrics are about as problematic as the lyrics: God save the Queen, Long live the Queen.” or the lyrics of the anthem: O Uganda may God uphold Thee, we lay our future in Thy Hands. However, i find it strange that mere lyrics concern you so much. How will the appropriateness, or not, of these lyrics determine your eternal destiny? Talk of vain pursuits!

No Karl, this is no light thing, no vain pursuit; and the lyrics above are much, much more problematic than the examples you provided.

As you will note the lyrics represent a HYMN (in this case a song of praise and worship sung by the Roman Catholic Church) FOR THE POPE! The examples you provided are worldly songs of praise and adulation to be certain, but by pointing to worldly idolatry and thereby insinuating that idolatry within the church isn’t problematic because, “Hey, they do it too!”, is totally unacceptable.

Any true Christ worshipper should be shocked and offended that the praise, worship, and adulation of the church which is reserved strictly for the One True and Living God should be perverted and enshrined in a hymn that’s sung to and about a wretched, sinful, wicked man.

This hymn is an abomination and speaks to the rank idolatry that lies at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church’s man made system of works righteousness.

Let’s closely examine the Christ imagery that veritably drips from this effusive praise of a fallen, evil human being:

His praises sound
Again and yet again

Worshipful praise from the church is due to God alone!

His rule is over space and time:

What?!? The Pope’s rule is over space and time?!? This is excruciatingly blasphemous! God alone is sovereign over space and time because He created space and time; He is the Creator! The only creature craven enough to desire and savor this type of worship which is due to God alone is Satan himself!

His throne the heart of men:

Blasphemy! Usurper! Again we see the stunning display of the utter depravity of this “hymn” which brazenly proclaims that the Pope sits in the seat of Christ! Christ alone is to reign and sit upon the throne of the hearts of men!

All hail! The Shepherd Pope of Rome,
The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing
And heav’n the strain prolong

But like a bad joke the hymn only gets worse. Now the wicked pontiff is compared to “The Shepherd” which of course is Christ’s own messianic title, and ill content with the praise of earthly men the song now shifts into full blown satanic hubris by marshalling the worship of all the earth and heaven to sing of the glory of…THE POPE!!!

Karl I’m afraid if you can’t see the problem with this most basic of issues - to Whom the praise of mankind is due - then our discussion of anything further may be utterly futile.

In Christ,
CD

Abomination

2008-04-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Long live the Pope!
His praises sound
Again and yet again:
His rule is over space and time:
His throne the heart of men:
All hail! The Shepherd Pope of Rome,
The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing
And heav’n the strain prolong

Question: How many commandments does Popery break?
Answer: How many commandments are there?

An Indictment of Western Christianity

2008-04-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

How many Christians do you know who could say, "The lifestyle I have chosen as a Christian would be utterly foolish and pitiable if there is no resurrection"? How many Christians are there who could say, "The suffering I have freely chosen to embrace for Christ would be a pitiable life if there is no resurrection"? As I see it these are shocking questions. - John Piper

If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:19)

Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ...I share his sufferings...that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:7-8, 10-11)

Images of the Savior (1 -- The Creation of the World)

2008-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

by Nathan Pitchford of Reformation Theology

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth....And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. – (Genesis 1:1,3)

When Jesus offered up for all believers his high-priestly prayer in their behalf, he summed up the essence of his request thus: “Father, I desire that those whom you have given me might be with me, where I am, in order that they might behold my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). From which circumstance we may learn that the very essence of what Jesus died to provide us with is nothing less than a rapturous gazing upon his glorious person, as we dwell in his presence forevermore. Heaven is nowhere but where Jesus dwells in his glory, and eternal life is nothing besides the sight of this glory. This is why Jesus had earlier defined eternal life as this: “that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). True life is that which fulfills the purpose for which man was created, namely, to know and enjoy fellowship with God; and Jesus Christ is the only One who is able to reveal the nature of God to mankind, as we may learn from John chapter one, verses 14 and 18: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as from the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth....No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him.” If we would be eternally satisfied, we must learn to behold the glory of Christ. And if we would be among those who for all eternity will indeed be in the joy of God's presence, we must learn to seek Christ's glory even now, as we live upon the earth.

This reduces the entire purpose of our lives on earth, and our eternal lives which follow, to this one thing: seeking to see Jesus the Savior. And there is only one place where we may see the Savior; and that is, the Word of God, which was inspired by the Spirit (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21) who delights to testify of Christ (John 15:26). This Word of God includes both the Old and New Testaments, and we may be sure that the Spirit spoke of Jesus in both Testaments, even as Jesus himself testifies to the Pharisees, calling the Old Testament scriptures “they which testify of me” (John 5:39); and likewise to the disciples, when, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

It is, therefore, a most grievous circumstance that many believers do not habitually see or even look for Jesus the Savior, when they are reading the Old Testament scriptures. Too often they are satisfied with a mere surface understanding of the Jewish history testified therein, or else they look for such a moral as may be found in Aesop's fables. But if the Old Testament scriptures will at all satisfy us or prepare us for eternal life, they will do so by virtue of their ability to uncover the Savior before our eyes. And one of the notable ways in which they do this is through the means of types. God purposed to reveal himself to the world, through his Son, by slow degrees; and therefore, long before he sent him into the world, he spoke of him in many dark and symbolic ways, through the circumstances, histories, and persons which he recorded for us in his Word. The true believers of the Old Testament were instructed of Christ as they looked beyond the types to the Savior which they signified (see, for example, John 8:56); and we may be assured that we will not be profited by those same scriptures unless we do the same thing, looking to Christ under the figures by means of which he is represented to us in the Scriptures.

And it is manifestly clear from the first pages of the Old Testament that God had at that time determined to reveal his will under figures, symbols, and types. For when he intended to promise to Noah that he would not again destroy the world by water, he did so under the type of the rainbow, under which figure he drew back against himself the bow of vengeance, as if to curse himself if ever he should break his word (Genesis 9:11-17). And then we may see how he revealed his plans to send a seven year famine by the type of seven lean cows in a dream to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:17-36); how he signified the future struggle between Edom and Israel by the struggling of the twins in the womb of Rebekah (Genesis 25:21-23); and how he revealed the future pre-eminence of Judah's son Perez to his twin brother Zerah by the typological circumstance of his unexpected breaking forth first from the womb (Genesis 38:27-30). And throughout the rest of the Old Testament, we have so many clear examples of revelation by typological significance, that we would soon weary of trying to record them all.

Now, it is likewise evident from the beginning that the greatest act of God in all of history would be his sending of the Messiah to redeem his people; for this is the first promise of God ever given to fallen man, and that under the type of the bruising of the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15); it is the event to which the greatest typical deliverance in Israel's history, the redemption from Egypt, looked forward (e.g. Micah 7:25, Isaiah 11:10-16, etc.); and it is the event which the prophets most delighted to speak of, in their Spirit-empowered ministry (e.g. Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and many others). If God's chosen means of revelation, in the days of the Old Testament, was typology; and if the most important event which he desired to reveal was the redemptive work of Christ; then it certainly stands to reason that in many ways he should have revealed the person and work of Christ under the shadows and types of the Old Testament; with which assessment the New Testament authors also agree, seeing in passages clear as well as obscure things pertaining to the Messiah and his work (e.g. Acts 2:25-26; 4:10-11; 15:13-20; and many others beside). From their example, we may surely learn that the Old Testament is to be used for the purpose of uncovering the things of Jesus, which were before revealed under types and shadows, and have now been made more manifest by the Spirit which he has sent. It is only as we read them in this manner that they will profit us with the eternal measure of joy contingent upon seeing the glory of Christ, who is our life.

Let us, then, from the first pages of the Old Testament, read all the Holy Scriptures with a mind to seeing Christ Jesus our Savior, and the things which he would do for our eternal salvation. The first account of the scriptures is that of the creation of the world, by the Almighty God; let us think of how we may see Christ from this event:

First, this event typified the greater act of redemption that Christ would one day accomplish. It was through Christ Jesus, the Word of God, that the worlds were created (John 1:1-3); but just as the light of creation sprang into being through Christ, at God's word, “Let there be light”; so also, the light of redemption and the knowledge of God sprang into being through Christ, in whom was the light which was the life of men” (John 1:4-5); when God desired the creation of the worlds, they sprang into being through Christ; and when he desired grace and mercy for his people, they too sprang into being through the Son of God, who took upon himself human flesh, to suffer the wrath of God in their place and so win for them eternal grace and mercy (John 1:17). The great work of creation, then, which through Christ displayed the glory of God's character, was itself only a shadow and type of the greater work of redemption, which through Christ would display the nature of God in his love and justice, to a superlative degree (see Hebrews 1:1-3).

But not only did God's creation through the Son typify his greater work of redemption in a general sense; it more specifically typified the process by which every redeemed child of God would come to a knowledge of him; “because the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness!' has shined in our hearts with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Corinthians 4:6). The creation of the worlds through Christ, which comes to its ultimate expression of orderly power in the creation of light, is only a shadow of the creation of a new heart in fallen man, which is the highest display of God's power and grace, and the true application of the sole accomplishment for which all of history was designed.

And finally, we must notice that this great work of creation was typical of the vastly greater work of the new creation, by which God would take the marred and cursed world of mankind and restore it to its original splendor and beyond. For just as the work of creation culminated in the formation of man, who dwelt in a beautiful garden and found great joy in the fellowship of God himself, bringing him glory through the just and holy subjugation of the earth beneath him (Genesis 1:26-31); so the culminative work of history, the new creation, will issue forth in a beautiful garden, in which man will have dominion over a perfect earth, fully restored from all the manifold deleterious effects of the fall, for the glory of God his Creator and Redeemer (Isaiah 25:1-12). From the very beginning account of the Scriptures, then, we encounter a type of the greater work of redemption, that would be done by Christ the Savior, to reveal the full nature of God, for the everlasting joy of his people.

As we turn to these Old Testament Scriptures and all which follow, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us labor to see Christ as the Spirit has pleased to typify him everywhere and in ever way! He only is our joy and salvation, and the sight of him alone is our heaven and eternal reward. If we read these scriptures to no increase of our understanding of him, we might as well not have read them at all: for they are precious only as they reveal to us God, whom to know is to live forever and to rejoice with true and ceaseless joy; and they reveal to us God only as they reveal to us Christ, who has declared to us the One whom no man has seen at any time. Jesus is our life and joy! Let us seek him in all the scriptures, as the Holy Spirit opens up our eyes.

Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone

2008-04-15T18:44:00.001-07:00

This bread, you see, is the Word of God. Now, the Word is given to us first here in the Bible, as it is written; it is given to us, secondly, from the lips of God’s own chosen and appointed ambassadors. He that despises either of these two, will soon find himself growing lean in spirit. The book, the Word, is like the flour, but the sermon is the bread, for it is through the sermon that the Word is, as it were, prepared for human palates, and brought so that human souls may be able to receive it. The moment the Church of God shall despise the pulpit, God will despise her. It has been through the ministry that the Lord has always been pleased to revive and bless his Churches, and you will notice, that these revivals in which it was boasted that there were no ministers engaged, have come to nought ere long; for those that stand, are those in which God gets to himself glory and honor, by using instrumentality.

It is a wrong idea altogether, that God is glorified by putting instrumentality aside. That is not his glory. His glory is, that in our infirmity he still triumpheth, and that with his own right hand he is able to lay hold upon some jaw-bone of an ass, and yet slay therewith heaps upon heaps of Philistines. It is the weakness of the instrumentality used that has a tendency to glorify God, and hence he very seldom is pleased to work without some means or other. Most Christians who have grown rich in grace, have been great frequenters of the house of prayer. - C.H. Spurgeon

HAT TIP: The Daily Spurgeon

Introducing DefCon!

2008-04-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announced the birth of a brand new Christian blog that's located at www.DefendingContending.WordPress.com. I am both humbled and honored to have been extended an opportunity to contribute in some small way to this upstart evangelistic / apologetic / discernment effort.

I hope you'll join me in praying that this web based ministry might be used of the Lord to be spiritual food for the suffering church, and that it may be a light in the darkness to those who are desperate need of the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by Whose hand of providence may many be led to know Him.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)

Soli Deo Gloria!

Paul Washer on Serving Christ

2008-04-12T13:49:00.001-07:00

HAT TIP: The Reformed Gadfly

Onward Christian Soldier

2008-04-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Like the Spartans, every Christian is born a warrior. It is his destiny to be assaulted; it is his duty to attack. Part of his life will be occupied with defensive warfare. He will have to defend earnestly the faith once delivered to the saints, he will have to resist the devil, he will have to stand against all his wiles; and having done all, still to stand. He will, however, be but a sorry Christian if he acteth only on the defensive. He must be one who goes against his foes, as well as stands still to receive their advance. He must be able to say with David, “I come against thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied.” He must wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. He must have weapons for his warfare — not carnal — but “mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” He must not, I say, be content to live in the stronghold, though he be then well guarded, and munitions of stupendous strength his dwelling place may be; but he must go forth to attack the castles of the enemy, and to put them down, to drive the Canaanite out of the land. - C.H. Spurgeon

HAT TIP: The Daily Spurgeon

Crown or King?

2008-04-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

The Holy Bible plainly identifies the Risen Savior Jesus Christ as the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords". This is an exemplary and awe inspiring description of His majestic, royal Person. This is who He is, right now, today, at this very moment as He triumphantly reigns over His church.

Christ came as a suffering servant, a man of sorrows, to be the sin bearer for helpless, hopeless humanity and as such Jesus Christ is also the perfect sinless Lamb of God slain before the foundations of the world. This is also who He is, right now, today, at this very moment. Jesus Christ is the unchanging, eternal, Almighty God in whom there is no shadow of turning therefore He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is admittedly impossible for finite mortals such as ourselves with our limited understanding to grasp the perfect, ineffable, One True and Living God while we are on this side of glory, yet we have received a very special promise to which we would do well to hold fast; that one day we will know Him even as we are known! Christians ought to ever rejoice in this holy truth! Our hearts should leap and our spirits should soar when we meditate on this beautiful and exceedingly glorious hope which is contained in the sure and trustworthy Word of God!

We ought to also rejoice in the knowledge that someday King Jesus will return to the world that rejected, despised, reviled, and finally murdered Him during His first advent. But this time around things will be different because during His second advent He will not come as the suffering servant, but instead He will come as the victorious conquering King who will put down all His enemies with the Word of His mouth and the brightness of His coming. King Jesus will also establish His heavenly rule on earth, fulfilling His eternal covenant kingdom promises.

But those who profess Christ, those who call themselves Christians, ought to ask themselves a very important question: Is Jesus Christ my crown or is He my King?, because herein is a difference of soul damning proportions. Many - if not most - evangelical Christians have little concept of a reigning monarch. In the various forms of Western representative democracies and constitutional republics such as the United States we tend to think of monarchies as an outmoded, outdated form of rule practiced by the uncivilized feudal brutes of yesteryear, or perhaps we imagine petty dictators in the mold of the various modern day Middle Eastern royal regimes. However in Bible times earthly kings were feared for their unimpeded, unopposed, and all encompassing power and authority.

If the king wanted your land, he took your land.

If the king wanted your wife or daughter (or both) he took your wife or daughter (or both).

If the king wanted your life, he took your life.

Such concepts were quite simple and self evident to anyone who understood what a true earthly king was like, and when Jesus Christ is described as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the scriptures there is little mistaking the overarching, complete, total authority that such a title conveys upon its bearer. This is a universal title of absolute sovereignty that is applied to the eternal and perfect Absolute Sovereign Himself, the infinite Creator and Judge of the universe.

On the other hand a crown is a mere token of authority. A crown (or many crowns) may grace the head of a ruler, but the crown has no inherent authority in and of itself. It's merely a symbol. Or let's consider another definition for "crown". In modern day England the royal family in general and Queen Elizabeth in particular are often referred to in the British media as The British Crown; "The Crown did such and such today"; or else "The Crown says this or that"; or perhaps, "The British Crown colony of somewhere-or-another held a reception..." Do you see the difference between a true sovereign, an actual king and the crown? The British monarchy holds no power over England. It's a figurehead, a group of pampered elites who are lauded, adored, praised, honored, and admired, but when a decision of state is to be made the British people look to their duly elected government for direction. The British government, not the monarchy is the true power behind the state and this fact is easily demonstrated.

No one asks Queen Elizabeth about matters of state, war, finance, or anything else related to the actual government of Britain.

No one sends emissaries to Prince Charles for permission to conduct the business of the country.

The sad truth is that it's very likely that no one in England actually cares what the British Crown thinks about such matters, and the royals wouldn't be able to legally take any action even if they desired to do so.

Isn't this too often the case with Jesus Christ within the vast majority of the modern professing church? Isn't He lauded as a wonderful, admirable, honorable King just so long as He remains a lame duck who is secondary to the high court and government of man's own autonomous reasoning and sinful will of self-determination - the true power behind man's natural, unregenerate state of being?

Isn't Jesus Christ paraded around triumphantly when it's convenient, or when there's a special planned recognition event such as Easter, Christmas, or Sunday morning while He's relegated to the sidelines when it comes to the "real" issues of daily life and struggle in the flesh?

The truth is that this perverse and wholly unbiblical subjection of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to man's sinful, autonomous, rebellious self-determination is the very height of satanic wickedness and hubris!

It's an abomination!

It's pure evil!

It's setting autonomous sinful man up as his own idol god in his heart!

Oh Lord forgive us because we have treated Your infinite glory, Your immeasurable worth, and Your absolute holiness as light things! We have made the King into a trifle and have reduced His complete sovereignty to an idol of our own making! We have ignored the King and worshipped the crown! We have traded our spiritual birthright for a worthless bowl of worldly pottage!

May we who are called by His Holy Name repent of our failure to worship and honor the King instead of the crown!

A prayer: Change us, shape us, mold us, oh Lord so that our view of You may be high and lifted up! May our adoration of You be pure and undefiled, and may we serve You with reverence, humility, and awe as faithful and obedient servants of the Most High God! Amen.

Evil on the Left; Evil on the Right

2008-04-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah Wright is just another run of the mill, in-it-for-the-money hack. In my mind there's nothing new or shocking about him or his rantings whatsoever. He's certainly not worth the press he's being given, and if I'm surprised by anything whatsoever about this whole non-event it's the fact that people are surprised by him - especially Christian evangelicals. This is why I've not wasted any time writing about him...until now.

Truth be told Jeremiah Wright is simply an antitype of John Hagee and his "Christian Right" ilk.

Look at the parallels:

Wright preaches a socio-communist "you're being held back" black poverty gospel and Hagee preaches a "name it and claim it" WASP capitalist prosperity gospel.

Both preach a government solution theology; the soteriology of Gnostic governance. Instead of Jesus Christ and His eternal gospel of grace, human government and/or politics is the solution to all their perceived woes and injustices - political action is the means to their ends. I've previously written about this obscene form of spiritual harlotry in a post entitled It Stands Alone.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36)

Both adhere to a corrupt "seeker sensitive" ecclesiology. Wright's brand of error appeals to the downtrodden and disenfranchised and Hagee's appeals to those who reap the benefits of the present system.

Both Wright and Hagee are intensely focused on a message of instant gratification. They aim for results right here and right now in this life, and anything less is unacceptable; "the afterlife can wait, I want my heaven on earth today; I want my BEST LIFE NOW!"

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (Matthew 6:20)

And let's be honest here, it isn't just Jeremiah Wright and John Hagee who are preaching this nonsense. Pulpits across the land are preaching the exact same (though opposite) messages week after week. The error is rampant, the deception is massive, and hell awaits all the blind adherents of these other gospels.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)

Do we love those people enough to tell them the truth? Are we bold enough to share the simple truth of Jesus Christ crucified, dead, buried and resurrected on the third day for remission of sins?

I'd like to see the sincere, godly love of the TRUE body of Christ, the church invisible pour forth to our professing brothers and sisters who are immersed in these soul damning errors.

Though there's consumer Christianity on the right hand, and liberal Christianity on the left hand - yet there's still hope.

They've replaced the eternal Gospel with the vain imaginings of men - yet there's still hope.

They've replaced the cross of Christ with a plasticized, man-centered message to tickle the itching ears of their fickle adherents, hangers-on, yes men, and sycophants - yet there's still hope.

There's hope - real hope - in the hands that were pierced for our transgressions.

There's hope - real hope - in the heart that poured forth blood and water for remission of sins.

There's hope - real hope - in the nail scarred feet that walked up Golgotha and carried the cross of sinful, fallen humanity upon His torn and bleeding back.

May those who are called by His Holy Name - the Name above all names, the name to which every knee in heaven, on earth, and beneath the earth will one day bow, the name of the The Lord Jesus Christ, the Risen Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, the Ancient of Days, the Almighty God - take up our crosses daily and follow after Him - after all, it's a light burden to bear, and for us it isn't optional; it's a command.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16)

A prayer: Oh Lord God Almighty You and You alone are holy and worthy of all praise and glory and power and honor and strength and wisdom and riches forever and evermore! Forgive us oh Lord for our wayward hearts and our unfaithfulness! Forgive us oh Lord for we are a stiff necked and rebellious people! Renew our hearts oh God and restore a right spirit within us! Help us, empower us, embolden us to be the people you've called us to be! Circumcise our hearts oh God that we might serve you with singleness of eye, not as men-pleasers but as humble servants of the Most High God! Write your holy law and righteous precepts upon the tables of our hearts of God! Make us a people of prayer oh Lord! Change us, mold us, shape us oh Lord into the earthen vessels that you would have us to be my King for you are the Potter and we are but clay! May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! Amen.

Divine Immutability

2008-04-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

By John MacArthur in his foreword to Foundations of Grace: A Long Line of Godly Men by Steve Lawson.

The Bible repeatedly and unapologetically underscores the fact that God does not change. In fact, He cannot change because He cannot improve on absolute perfection or decline in His eternally fixed nature. His person does not change: "For I the LORD do not change" (Mal. 3:6). His plans do not change: "The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). His purpose does not change: "So when God desired to show more convincingly...the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath" (Heb. 6:17). God does not change His mind: "The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man that he should have regret" (1 Sam. 15:29); or His words: "The Holy One of Israel...does not call back his words" (Isa. 31:1-2); or His calling: "The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29; cf. Heb. 13:8; James 1:17). There are absolutely no changes in God, no variations, and no surprises (cf. Ps. 102:27).

God does not increase or decrease. He does not improve or decline. He does not change due to some altered circumstances - there are no unforeseen emergencies to the One who is eterally all-knowing. His eternal purposes stand forever because He stands forever (Ps. 33:11). He does not reacts, He only acts - and He does so however He pleases (Ps. 115:3).

From a human perspective, of course, God sometimes appears to change His plans or His actions based on what people do. But this is not so from God's viewpoint. Because He knows and always has known the future perfectly, having planned it according to His unalterable decree. He always acts in the way that He planned to act from eternity past. While men do not know how God will act, and are sometimes astonished as they see His sovereign plans unfold, God is never surprised. He continues to work as He always has, according to His eternal purpose and good pleasure (cf. Ps. 33:10-12; Isa. 48:14; Dan. 4:35, Col 1:19-20)

Seek the Lord

2008-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

"It is time to seek the Lord" (Hosea 10:12)

This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? Then, I entreat you, give your vigor to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, it is time to seek the Lord. Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is day of grace for you now - be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink [and by internet], and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord". Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

This Little Light of Mine...

2008-04-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against those false prophets who have spoken vain things in the name of the Lord of Hosts.

Can there be any doubt that the great falling away is before our very eyes? Oh that the blind followers of the blind would flee the destruction to come and hide themselves in the cleft of the Rock! Oh that they would fall on their faces before the infinite Creator and Judge of the universe and beg for mercy!

One thing is for certain; when one takes a bold, uncompromising stand on the infallible, inspired, inerrant Word of God the enemies of Christ will be drawn like moths to the flame in their incessant efforts to extinguish the source of the light. Little do they seem to realize that those who are called by His Holy Name are mere lamps through which the True Light shines, we have no light apart from His light.

Lord Jesus, may your Light burn brightly in those who are called by your name and commissioned to speak the singular truth of Christ crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected on the third day; the hinge upon which all of history turns!

In Christ Alone

2008-03-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! Who took on flesh,
fulness of God in helpless babe!
This Gift of love and righteousness,
scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
the wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid;
here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,
up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine,
bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life no fear in death,
this is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

Grace, God's Grace

2008-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

"The promises of God's grace provide the power that makes the demands of God's holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear. Peter described the freeing power of God's promises like this: 'Through [His precious and very great promises] you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire' (2 Peter 1:4). In other words, when we trust the promises of God, we sever the root of corruption by the power of a superior promise.

Therefore we should pray for each other the way Jesus prays for us in John 17:17: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth'. There is no abiding joy without holiness, for the Scripture says, 'Strive...for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord' (Hebrews 12:14). How important, then, is the truth that sanctifies! How crucial is the Word that breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures! And how vigilant we should be to light our paths and load our hearts with the Word of God! 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path' (Psalm 119:105). 'I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you' (v. 11; cf. v. 9).

John Piper - Desiring God pp. 149-150

Spurgeon on the Circus Church

2008-03-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

HAT TIP: Lane's Blog

Hirelings

2008-03-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

The professing church is brimming with hirelings. What is a "hireling" you might ask, and how is it relevant to the question of the condition of today's church? I'm glad you asked. Let's see what the Lord Jesus has to say of the hireling:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (John 10:11-13)

As you can see, the Lord isn't impressed with the hireling, in fact He disdains him and heaps contempt upon him. So what does it say about the state of the church when today's denominational pipelines and seminaries are cranking out hirelings nearly as fast as Mattel cranks out Ken and Barbie? And isn't there a parallel here between the plastic Christianity of these hirelings and their plastic toy counterparts? Why yes, yes there is; they're both platicized, fake, and without true life.

True life is the life imputed by the Lord of Hosts and is a thing which no man can attain to, it is the gift of God lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet today's plastic Christian leadership - equipped with their plastic crosses - shill a plastic gospel that is bloodless, powerless, and ineffectual for salvation. These blind leaders of the blind send countless myriads of deceived followers home each week singing of a heaven they'll never see apart from the change of heart, submission, and faithful obedience to Christ that are foundational to true salvation.

But believer beware! These hirelings become simultaneously defensive and aggressive when their meal-ticket is threatened. If one dares question the status quo of their Nicolaitane constructs, rest assured that the poisoned darts of false accusations and ad hominem are sure to fly his way. All bets are off and all the stops are pulled when these spiritual cockroaches are exposed to the light of scripture. As they quickly scurry from the light they hurl baseless accusations, twist scripture, and resort to absurd claims of spiritual authority in their desperate attempts to maintain their deception at all costs. Not unlike the miserable, feeble old man hiding behind the curtain while pretending to be "The Great and Powerful Oz", the spiritual charlatan will attempt continue his masquerade even when the truth is standing there staring him squarely in the face.

Of the hireling Tozer well said:

A Hireling; No True Shepherd
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

It is doubtful whether we can be Christian in anything unless we are Christian in everything. To obey Christ in one or two or ten instances and then in fear of consequences to back away and refuse to obey in another is to cloud our life with the suspicion that we are only fair-weather followers and not true believers at all. To obey when it costs us nothing and refuse when the results are costly is to convict ourselves of moral trifling and gross insincerity….

Again, the pastor when facing his congregation on Sunday morning, dare not think of the effect his sermon may have on his job, his salary or his future relation to the church. Let him but worry about tomorrow and he becomes a hireling and no true shepherd of the sheep. No man is a good preacher who is not willing to lay his future on the line every time he expounds the Word. He must let his job and his reputation ride on each and every sermon or he has no right to think that he stands in the prophetic tradition. SIZ, 146-147.
(A.W. Tozer, Tozer on Christian Leadership)

A prayer: Give me grace to follow, Lord–especially when it really does cost me something. Amen.

May the hirelings quickly find themselves either out of work or broken and repentant before the One True and Living God, the infinite Creator and Judge of the universe.

Praise Him!

2008-03-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Oh Lord, how can I express my thankfulness to You? How can I be thankful enough? For with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm you pulled me from the devourer's jaws. You loved me before I loved You. You knew me before the world began.

Oh Lord, how can I express my thankfulness for You? How can I be thankful enough? You called me by name and opened my eyes. Like Lazarus I heard Your voice and came to You. You've hidden me in the cleft of the Rock and sheltered me beneath the shadow of Your wings.

Oh Lord, how can I express my thankfulness? You are God alone! There is none like you! Who is like the Lord? There is no one! May all praise and glory and power and honor and strength and wisdom and riches be unto the name of the Lord forever and ever more! May Your hands of healing and protection rest upon Your children. May You keep us from evil and rebuke the devourer for our sakes. May the vain imaginings of the enemy bear no fruit against us, but rather may his plans be utterly confounded and of none effect.

Oh Lord, fill me with Your holy presence! Draw close to me, and draw me close to You! Write Your statutes upon the tables of my heart that Your Word would never depart from my lips. Cause me oh Lord to be the man You've called me to be! By Your power alone may I be the husband, the father, the brother, the son, the friend, the disciple, the servant, the child of the Living God that You've called me to be. Mortify my flesh oh Lord that it would be in subjection to Your Holy Spirit. Cause me oh Lord to walk in the very center of Your perfect will, turning neither to the right hand, nor the left. Oh Lord may I walk only upon the path You've set before me.

Oh Lord, direct my mind according to Your awesome power! Cause me oh Lord to think Your thoughts after You. Give me oh Lord the desires of my heart, that I would desire only that which You desire! May my every thought be captive to Christ!

Embolden me oh Lord that I would speak forth Your truth in love with a humble boldness that testifies to Your eternal Godhead and Gospel! Shape me, use me, mold me, make me that vessel which seems good and right in Your eyes.

Satisfy me oh Lord within Your presence. May I long for nothing more than to dwell within Your Holy place where there is fulness of joy! Set my heart aflame oh Lord that Your Word would burn as a fire within my bones that I may speak forth the eternal truth of Christ crucified, the hinge upon which all of history turns!

Break me oh Lord as a potter shatters the clay. May I decrease as You increase within me. Renew me oh Lord that I may be found worthy of the high calling of Christ Jesus. Purge me oh Lord of sin and iniquity. Forgive me oh Lord for my sinful pride. May I make my boast only in the Lord and His everlasting mercies.

Thank You Lord for this day. Thank You for the life You've given me. Thank You for the family You've given me. Thank You for the many blessings in my life that I take for granted. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for the cross. Thank You for the blood You shed on Calvary. Thank You for setting aside Your throne of eternal glory and becoming a man. Thank You for taking my sin and shame upon Yourself. Thank You for Your love that is better than life. Thank You for Your Word that is sharper than a two-edged sword. Thank You for being unchanging and unchangeable in nature, purpose, perfection, works and knowledge.

Thank You for being The Great I AM, Yahweh Elohim Shaddai, Jehovah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Creator and Judge, the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the King of Glory, the Rock of our salvation, the suffering servant, our kinsman Redeemer, the Ancient of Days, God Almighty, the One True Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ forevermore.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)

The Eternal Existence of Christ

2008-03-25T18:31:00.001-07:00

This important study succinctly breaks down the the oft ignored subject of Christology in the light of inerrant scripture:

INTRODUCTION

Our modern world is decidedly confused. On the one hand, the rationalistic, humanistic viewpoint dominates within our public education system. We are now taught to question the validity of anything that can be called "supernatural." The very idea that someone might believe in miracles, revelation, etc., is opened up to direct ridicule. At the same time, in a direct reaction against this kind of dry humanism, many people are fleeing for refuge into every kind of spiritistic group imaginable. "Channeling" (a fancy way of saying a spirit medium) is very popular, and the Eastern ideas of reincarnation and mysticism are drawing converts from every walk of life.

In the midst of all of this confusion we find the Bible, continuing to proclaim the timeless message of Jesus Christ. Yet even the Lord Jesus has come in for modern "updating" in many men's writings. After a century of "searching for the historical Jesus" men (hopefully) have discovered that outside of the inspired writings of the apostles in the New Testament, we will not find much information on who Jesus was. Indeed, unless we see that it is illogical and irrational to reject the Scriptures for what they claim to be we will never have much to say to our world.

Continue reading "The Pre-existence of Christ In Scripture, Patristics and Creed" here

He Is Risen

2008-03-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; (Matthew 28:6-7)

He is risen indeed!

Nothing But the Blood

2008-03-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this I see. Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace. Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Countercult Corner: Roman Catholicism

2008-03-20T19:49:00.001-07:00

Unmasking the Pope

"In the long war on the truth the most formidable, relentless, and deceptive enemy has been Roman Catholicism. It is an apostate, corrupt, heretical false Christianity. It is a front for the kingdom of Satan. The true Church of Jesus Christ has always understood this." - John MacArthur

HAT TIP: Reformation Nation

The Source of False Doctrine

2008-03-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

"Although the Bible primarily focuses on the human agents propagating false doctrine, it also deals with the source of false doctrine: Satan and his demons.

Behind all false teachers are invisible demons. No false teacher teaches from his own wisdom; a demon or demons inspire him to teach. False teachers are mouthpieces for Satan." - John MacArthur

On the Professing Church

2008-03-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

"When it comes to the early twenty-first century evangelical church as a whole, techniques have unfortunately replaced truth, style has supplanted substance, convenience outdistances consecration, and modern church growth principles receive more attention than biblical church growth truth. Scripturally speaking, this is not Christ's intended state of affairs for His lovely bride - the church. This man-centered approach to chruch spells a gloomy future for what ought to be as bright as Christ's glory." - Richard Mayhue, Dean of Master's Seminary

The Power of the Cross

2008-03-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (John 11:25)

O, to see the dawn of the darkest day;
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

O, to see the pain written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought, ev'ry evil deed
crowing Your blood-stained brow.

Now the daylight flees; now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life-
"Finished!" the victory cry.

O, to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suff'ring I am free.
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love!

This is the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath;
We stand forgiven at the cross.

This Is Why I Blog

2008-03-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Absolute Dominion is a very small island in a vast ocean of digital information, however it has a very theologically solid group of "regulars" who often drop by to share encouragement, exhortation, or simply a personal anecdote, thought or insight. Perhaps more importantly it also has the usual trolls, drifters, and cultists who sometimes stop by to stir up a bit of stink. I particularly enjoy being given the opportunity to share the the truth in love about the REAL Jesus Christ with these drive-by types. Sometimes I never know if they've even come back to see my response, and yet on occasion they will return and there is a witnessing opportunity granted of the Lord.

It's simply stupefying to me that someone such as myself - a wretched lump of sin - could be used of the Lord in any way to proclaim His truth via the medium of the Internet, yet I know that it's only by His divine hand of sovereignty and providence that anything whatsoever happens in any realm, whether it be in heaven, in the earth, or within the virtual world of the blogosphere and so I steadfastly soldier onward toward the prize, the high calling of Christ Jesus and the eternal message of Him crucified, dead, buried and resurrected on the third day - the foolishness of preaching the offense of the cross - the truth of the ages, the hinge upon which all of human history turns.

I am a weak, small, sinful, trembling, unworthy man who is nevertheless devoted to the glory of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. By His power alone I shall continue earnestly preaching, teaching, and reaching with His Holy Word here in my dusty little corner of cyberspace and in those opportunities He may grant in my day to day life.

I am Coram Deo and this is Absolute Dominion!

The following exchange took place in the comments section of one of my posts:

Please preach/explain the gospel to me right now, if you would. I'm serious.
Mark Portman | 02.15.08 - 11:40 am | #

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Mark Portman,

I'm glad you asked and I'd be honored to proclaim the Gospel to you!

There is One True and Living God in all of existence Who created everything from nothing for His own purposes, by His own power, and for His own good pleasure.

This One True and Living God is totally self contained, completely self sufficient, and eternally existent without beginning or end and takes no counsel of anything or anyone outside of Himself since He is the embodiment of absolute perfection and is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. He is the Ultimate Ultimate and there is none like Him, He is the great "I AM".

This Creator God doesn't change because by implication absolute perfection of knowledge, power, and holiness could not improve or become "more perfect" and to become less perfect would be an absurdity for an absolutely perfect and holy divine Being.

Furthermore this Creator God has revealed Himself to His creation, mankind, through natural revelation (His created order) and special verbal revelation (His Word). His Word in which He has revealed Himself is the Holy Bible which consists of the Old and New Testaments.

God originally created man perfect and in God's own image. Sadly man sinned against God by transgressing His commandment and fell into a state of spiritual death causing God's image in man to become badly marred and wholly corrupted by the taint of sin.

The One True and Living God's absolute holiness and perfection required divine justice against transgression of His commandment. Thus sinful man incurred physical death along with spiritual death.

Man has continued in his fallen, sinful state since all men are found guilty in their sins inherited by the original man, our standard bearer in the flesh, Adam. But out of His infinite mercy, love, compassion, and pity the One True and Living God decided not to leave man helpless and hopeless in his fallen state but chose instead to intervene directly in the affairs of men in order to bring about a Savior Who would deliver those who trusted in Him by faith alone from their inherited curse of sin.

The wages of sin is death, both spiritual and physical. Those who die apart from God are doomed to an unspeakably horrific eternity in a place commonly known as hell where they are tormented forever and ever without rest or relief. Men's souls are not annihilated in hell, because men's souls are eternal. Our flesh and bones are merely "tents" or "houses" for our spirits which exist eternally in one of two states, either they are forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, or they are damned to eternal hell for failing to repent of sin, and trust in, believe upon, and humbly obey the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Coram Deo | Homepage | 02.15.08 - 11:50 pm | #

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The One True and Living God brought the Savior Jesus Christ out of the people of Israel, the Jewish race who God Himself raised up to become a people specially chosen to bring forth salvation to all those who would be saved from their sins by repentance (a turning away from sin and a turning toward God) and faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior.

Jesus Christ was and is the Savior, the Anointed One; the Messiah Who alone lived an absolutely perfect and sinless life that fully pleased His Heavenly Father. God's standard for acceptance is absolute perfect sinlessness and no man has ever lived such a life apart from Jesus Christ.

Yet Jesus Christ was more than a mere man. Though he was 100% human he was simultaneously 100% God. Jesus Christ was and is the "God -man". We know this because according to the Bible He was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit of God in the womb of Mary, a virgin Jewish maiden.

Because Jesus Christ was and is both God and man and was without sin He was uniquely able to stand in the gap between God's divine fury and wrath against sin, which no mortal man could ever repay, and become the sin bearer for all those who believe on Him as their Savior.

Jesus Christ paid the sin debt by living a perfect, sinless life, and then by giving His own life as a ransom for many and dying a horrible, agonizing death upon a Roman cross, being humiliated, scourged, tortured, crucified, and murdered by His own creatures who knew Him not.

This is the greatest story ever told, and it's 100% true.

And the best part is yet to come! Jesus Christ didn't remain in the grave, three days after His death He was raised from the dead never to die again, gaining victory over death itself for both Himself, and all those who would be saved by Him.

Jesus Christ appeared to numerous witnesses proving His resurrection from the dead and sent his apostles out into the world to proclaim the "Good News", which is translated as "Gospel" that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.".

This doesn't mean that whoever believes in Jesus won't taste physical death, for we know Jesus Himself tasted physical death, but rather those who believe on Him and are miraculously "born-again" of the Spirit of God are translated from spiritual death (and damnation) unto spiritual life (and salvation) because they have been forgiven by the shedding of the perfect, sinless blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, Who takes away the sins of the world.

Coram Deo | Homepage | 02.15.08 - 11:53 pm | #

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Mark Portman, this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ as I understand it and I believe it with all of my heart. Now I'm not asking you to trust my heart, because I don't trust my own heart since the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately wicked. Yet the Bible also says that those who are born-again are given new hearts that their old hearts of unbelief are taken away and a new heart of belief, tenderness, love, humility, and submission to Jesus Christ and the will of God are given to those who believe.

I believe.

I'm a believer.

And it's not just because I had an emotional experience once, or because I need a "religious crutch" to lean on. It's because of the cross. It's because of the power of God. It's because of His Holy Spirit. It's because of His inspired Word. It's because of His sacrifice for me. It's because He has driven me to the very end of myself to the point that He opened my eyes to see myself as I truly am, wretched, wicked, helpless, sinful and vile.

Yet His grace is sufficient for one such as me. Not many wise are called, not many noble, but God has chosen those whom He will choose and we are the least of the least. The lowest of the low. The off scouring of polite society.

But it pleased God to make the wisdom of this world foolish by the preaching of the cross and to make the wise simple and the simple wise by His truth.

None of my words have any power Mark Portman; they're just the words of a man. But God's Word is truth and it is power and if this message were meant for you then by the regenerating power of His Holy Spirit you've already believed it by now. And if this message wasn't for you then you are still responsible before The One True and Living God, the Infinite Creator and Judge of the universe for the truth you've received and you will certainly give an account for it as you stand before Him in Holy Divine Judgment.
Coram Deo | Homepage | 02.15.08 - 11:55 pm | #

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I've prayed to my God that He would grant you repentance and salvation, Mark Portman.

Grace and peace to you!
In Christ,
CD
Coram Deo | Homepage | 02.15.08 - 11:58 pm | #

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Thank you. I want to be very honest, in that I am daily impressed by your blog, and I wanted to see how you explained the Gospel. I am consistently plagued by the Holy Spirit (for the better) to free myself from the Flesh. Being 20 years old, breaking from worldly desires has been very much like coming off an addiction to a drug. I'm going with my father to witness today, only, I will be listening to him as he does so and will be there for prayer and support. I very much appreciate that you shared this with me, as I am going to rededicate my life (which is a result of only a recent practice of true repentance on my part). I cannot undermine the Gospel, and I'm very thankful for the powerful stand you take for the Truth of God's Word. I have to pray to God and ask him to battle my unbelief every day. It's mostly doubt in myself, but I understand that my faith must rely on Christ alone. It's a difficult path, as I understand now more than ever, but God has blessed me with an eye of discernment, and your blog is certainly a sound representative of the Christian faith.
Mark Portman | 02.16.08 - 8:02 am | #

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Just to add, I certainly hope it's the Holy Spirit that is consistently pointing out even my most obscure of sins. I don't see how it could be anything else!
Mark Portman | 02.16.08 - 8:08 am | #

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Mark Portman,

Thank you for sharing and may the Lord be praised for your hearty encouragement!

God be with you, sir!
Coram Deo | Homepage | 02.20.08 - 10:26 pm | #

On Spiritual Discernment

2008-03-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:1-6)

Marks of a True Believer - Test the Spirits by John MacArthur

Old Truth

2008-03-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

Truth itself does not change just because our point of view does. As we mature in our ability to perceive truth, truth itself remains fixed. Our duty is to conform all our thoughts to the truth (Psalm 19:14); we are not entitled to redefine "truth" to fit our own personal viewpoints, preferences, or desires. We must not ignore or dsicard selected truths because we might find them hard to receive or difficult to fathom. Above all, we can't get apathetic or lazy about the truth when the price of understanding or defending the truth turns out to be demanding or costly. Such a self-willed approach to the truth is tantamount to usurping God (Psalm 12:4). People who take that route guarantee their own destruction (Romans 2:8-9).

Truth is never determined by looking at God's Word and asking, "What does this mean to me?" Whenever I hear someone talk like that, I'm inclined to ask, "What did the Bible mean before you existed? What does GOD mean by what he says?" Those are the proper questions to be asking. Truth and meaning are not determined by our intuition, experience or desire. The true meaning of Scripture - or anything else, for that matter - has already been determined and fixed by God. The task of an interpreter is to discern that meaning. And proper interpretation must proceed application.

- John MacArthur

HAT TIP: Reformation Nation

On Christ

2008-03-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

"Yea, He is altogether lovely." (Song of Solomon 5:16)

The superlative beauty of Jesus is all attracting; it is not so much to be admired as to be loved. He is more than pleasant and fair, He is lovely. Surely the people of God can fully justify the use of this golden word, for He is the object of their warmest love, a love founded on the intrinsic excellence of His person, the complete perfection of His charms. Look O disciples of Jesus, to your Master's lips, and say "Are they not most sweet?" Do not His words cause your hearts to burn within you as He talks with you by the way? Ye worshippers of Immanuel, look up to His head of much fine gold, and tell me, are not His thoughts precious unto you? Is not your adoration sweetened with affection as ye humbly bow before that countenance which is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars? Is there not a charm in His every feature, and is not His whole person fragrant with such a savour of His good ointments, that therefore the virgins love Him? Is there one member of His glorious body which is not attractive? One portion of His person which is not a fresh loadstone to our souls? One office which is not a strong cord to bind your heart? Our love is not as a seal set upon His heart of love alone; it is fastened upon His arm of power also; nor is there a single part of Him upon which it does not fix itself. We anoint His whole person with the sweet spikenard of our fervent love. His whole life we would imitate; His whole character we would transcribe. In all other beings we see some lack, in Him there is all perfection. The best even of His favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows; He is nothing but loveliness. All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the most lovely thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy - light without darkness - glory without cloud - "Yea, He is altogether lovely".

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

Exposing Error: Andrew Clarkson SPM 1

2008-03-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

In the interest of providing a Biblical counterpoint to SPM 1's ongoing series on Reformed/Calvinist thought I'd like to offer the following point by point analysis and refutation of SPM contributor Andrew Clarkson's latest article entitled Unconditional Eternal Security as it Relates to Calvinism.

“IN VAIN THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN”- MATTHEW 15:9.

This verse is particularly true of those who would undermine the truth of scripture and substitute it with a ”vain traditions of men” religion, making a shipwreck of the faith. Christ directed this condemnation to those who go about building up idols by adding to or taking away from the Word of God and elevating their own perverse man-centered doctrines to equality with scripture. This is precisely the error of those who hold to the wholly unbiblical belief that men save themselves by “making a decision” for God and relegating the King Himself to a position inferior to sinful man’s own “choice”. This false belief turns the Scripture on its head and makes man the agent of his own salvation! Man saves man!

This false belief is especially insidious and attractive to the natural man because deep within their desperately wicked and sinful hearts men desire to be a god, and therefore the idea that they can somehow “decide” for themselves and “choose to accept” Christ’s invitation by their own power is very, very appealing. Instead of simply taking God at His Word and believing the truth that it is God alone Who is the singular agent of salvation, drawing those whom He will and choosing those whom He will out of His boundless ocean of mercy, pity and love as it is written in the Holy Bible, these ungodly deceivers seek to ensnare men in their cunningly devised fables that “God has done all He can and now the rest is up to you” which is a damnable lie from the pit of hell.

Think about this question for a moment; Are you a Christian? If you answered in the affirmative are you a Christian because of God's will, or are you a Christian because you chose to be (i.e. because of your will)? Did God choose you, or did you choose God? Did God accept you, or did you accept God? Why are you a Christian while many of your friends, family members and neighbors are not? Did you choose better than they? Why? Is it because you're smarter, better, or more righteous than they are, or is it because God Almighty for His own glory, and by His own good pleasure sought you out and saved you by His Son Jesus Christ? Is salvation of you or is it of Christ? Is salvation wrought of God or is it wrought of men? Did Christ die for those He was unable to save? Is He the sovereign and personal God of all creation Who is able to fully save those who His Father gives unto Him, or is He an impotent beggar wringing His hands in heaven, helplessly pleading for men to accept Him and His ineffable gift of eternal life, powerless to save anyone?

The Bible’s concept of God is that HE IS GOD! He is fully in control of all things and all things transpire according to His perfect plan and will. Nothing that happens in the universe happens apart from it being ordained by God Himself, for His own purposes, for His own glory, and according to His own holy counsel, wisdom and knowledge. Those who teach that the God of the Holy Bible is simply “rolling the dice” and allowing things to fall where they may clearly have the wrong conception of the Almighty.

God is GRACIOUS in that He mercifully grants some men salvation, but it is not unfair that He does not grant ALL men salvation. All men are deserving of JUSTICE which is eternal damnation in hell, but miraculously God will save some, granting them pardon in His Son’s substitutionary death on the cross for all those who believe on Him by grace through faith alone. One cannot demand mercy, because it is up to the Judge to grant mercy. Some will receive mercy, and some receive justice, but all men are equally guilty covenant breakers until Christ’s perfect sacrifice for sin becomes a propitiation for the sins of those who believe in Him by grace through faith alone, and are therefore miraculously “born-again”, justified and forgiven being once and for all and reconciled unto God.

Sadly there are many who teach that man can demand mercy and that God must grant that mercy based on repeating the so-called “sinner’s prayer”, being dunked beneath some tepid tap water, and possibly by eating a cracker and drinking some grape juice from time to time. These poor, misguided souls do greatly err because they don’t understand the scriptures, having their understanding darkened by their own worthless works which are as filthy rags before the Lord. They trust in themselves that they are righteous because they believe in their hearts they have done the “right” religious things based on their ”vain traditions of men” doctrines. These blind guides of the blind don’t realize that the professing church and the professing Christian aren’t synonymous with the TRUE Bride of Christ, the church invisible which is comprised of all true regenerate, born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are hidden within the broader false professing church. These “Churches of the Tares” lack the Holy Spirit and therefore lack discernment - thinking themselves wise when they are fools who are without God and without hope. These self-righteous man-centered works-based idolaters are those who will one day stand before the Infinite Creator and Judge of the Universe and hear the awful words ”Depart from me”. Smiling like crocodiles and with a glimmer in their eyes they send their deceived congregants home week after week singing of a heaven they'll never see and praising a Jesus Who will rebuke and condemn them on judgment day. But don’t worry about that right? After all, you said “the sinner’s prayer”, right? Sure…right…

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:23)

What does the Lord mean here when he rejects the workers of iniquity and who are they?

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Few.

Few there be that find it.

We can see that the Lord is rebuking a group of lawbreakers, a group who is guilty of committing lewdness, crookedness, and perverseness in contradistinction to being straight, upright, and moral according to God's Holy commandments. I should point out here that I'm not advancing a works based salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith and is a miraculous and sovereign work of God alone. Yet God's holy demands are irrevocable and it is His Spirit that empowers and enables the regenerate to holy and righteous living before His face.

It's interesting to note in the verses leading up to verse 23 a group is described who will call Jesus "Lord" and who will recite a litany of good works they've performed in His name. Still more interesting in this discourse we see that the Lord does not deny or make any effort to refute the works claimed, nor does he dispute that the lawbreakers did the works in His name, rather He simply commands them to depart from Him and summarily states that He never knew them! Clearly Jesus is the omniscient God Almighty so He mustn't mean that He has no idea who they are, rather He is unequivocally stating that He was never in a relationship with them. They are strangers to His covenant of grace, and hence are guilty and condemned covenant breakers.

I have little doubt that this stinging rebuke and rejection of the King of Glory strikes the unregenerate false believers as a complete and utter surprise.

They believed they knew Him! ”But, we recited the sinner’s prayer, Lord, we chose You and accepted You! We went to church every time the door was open and volunteered!”

They claimed their good works were performed in His name! ”But we got baptized right there in church and even got dunked a few extra times when we thought we might need to rededicate, plus we ate the crackers and drank the grape juice every week, and lots of people shouted a lot and prayed for us to be saved too! There must be a mistake here, check the book again, Jesus!”

And the Lord doesn't even deny their claims! Is there some mistake here? Is the Lord guilty of unreasonably and arbitrarily rejecting true, regenerate born-again Christian men and women? God forbid!

The truth of the matter is that the false believers pictured in this terrible and frightful verse in Matthew are typical of the sort of lukewarm works-righteousness Christian who is so prevalent in the modern professing church. Today's church is a hothouse within which "shallow root", "weedy" false Christians thrive. These are the tares sown by the enemy which spring up alongside the true wheat of the Lord. This is the false church which exists side by side with the true invisible church. These are the stooges and pawns of the enemy who trust in themselves that they are righteous. They are self righteousness exemplified, an object lesson in damnation. These ignore the Whole Counsel of God in favor of their own denominational sewage and heap hot coals upon their heads in the process.

I personally believe the Lord doesn't bother attempting to refute their works claims because their claims are truthful and accurate as far as they go. By the measure of man they probably did many admirable and noble works in the Lord's name during their time on the earth. They were probably model citizens, faithful church attendees, good parents, community volunteers, and cheerful givers. No doubt within their ranks were pastors, deacons, elders and church leaders and congregants of all stripes. I would imagine they were a congenial and generally wonderful group of people while on this side of glory. They likely quoted lots of scripture and thought themselves to be model Christians among Christians.

But they had a spiritual problem. They didn't know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

What does this verse mean? We can clearly see here that Jesus is addressing the very type of person who verbally and/or intellectually assents to Christ's truth claims, and has a form of godliness but who fails to submit to Him as Lord and Savior in spirit and in truth. This describes the exact types of false believers - the very same individuals - that are rejected by the Lord in Matthew 7:23!

Trusting in Jesus Christ as one's Lord and Savior isn't simply repeating a "sinner's prayer" or "believing in God". Trusting in Christ is believing God and acting on that belief through repentance and humble submission to His Word, the Whole Counsel of God, including His hard commands. It's the total abandonment of self to apprehend Christ and the rejection of the ”vain traditions of men” false religion which so easily ensnares the self-righteous idolaters.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Jesus was serious about people surrendering their all in order to follow Him. He didn't preach a gospel that allows men to keep one foot in heaven and the other foot in the world, quite the opposite in fact. Jesus challenged men to be willing, able, and even eager to give up all their worldly comforts, their families, wives, children, reputations, inheritances, even their very lives if called upon by Him to do so. His message was so important, and His demands were so strident that scripture records how time and again He turned away the half-hearted adherents, the curious hangers-on, and "seekers" by the thousands. It’s HIS way and HIS Word that counts, not man’s corrupted, perverted, idolatrous, vain religiosity that says “I can save myself by making a decision for Jesus!”.

Clarkson says: One of the commandments of men is the doctrine of eternal security or the once saved/always saved teaching. Too many commandment of men followers do not stay in His word which marks true believers from the false one’s. “IF you abide in My words, you are My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free”- John 8:31-32. “Sanctify (set them apart) by Your truth. Your word is truth”- John 17:17. Baptists, like the other cults, wrest Scripture to their own destruction. One such pastor once told this evangelist that if he joined his church he would have to disband his home church fellowship. I was also told that I could not celebrate communion weekly as has been my practice but instead I would have to fall under their umbrella of teachings. Needless to say I are not at that Baptist church. Now, why would I, as a former Nazarene pastor, desire to join a Baptist church in the first place?

John 8:31-32 is deeply misunderstood by those who would deny the plain teaching of Scripture in order that they might hold onto their ”vain traditions of men” idolatry that says: Man saves man!” By ripping the scriptures out of context and twisting them like a wax nose so that they fit within their false religion of works-righteousness framework these would teach that salvation itself is conditional upon the actions of sinful men! This lie is the very height of satanic hubris and wickedness! It literally drips with self righteousness and the idolatry of the heart! In fact the Lord is delineating that His true disciples WILL abide in His words from which we can infer that those who DO NOT abide in His words are not His disciples! There’s nothing confusing or mysterious about this fact. Christ Himself has said that no one can pluck His own from His Father’s hands. This is because the true believer is eternally secure and hidden in Christ Who Himself will see that His true disciples are saved to the uttermost and that they will in no wise be lost. With respect to John 17:17 the Son’s prayers are always answered by the Father and we can rest assured that His true sheep will absolutely be sanctified (set apart) by His truth and they will not heed the voice of another. This is yet another beautiful verse confirming the eternal security of the true believer in Christ.

Clarkson says: Denominations, by and large, practice the doctrines of whatever founder they might have and not necessarily the doctrines of the Bible. I don’t see eternal security taught in the Bible. One of the catch Bible verses Baptists use in that regard is Romans 8:35- “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” He always loves us but mankind makes conscious choices as to whether or not they will follow Him. It is not enough to walk with Jesus or to come to Him with no intention of obeying Him. “Whoever does not bear his cross and come AFTER ME cannot be My disciple”- Luke 14:27.

Clearly this is true of the Nazarene church that was founded a little over 100 years ago. Lots of folks can’t see the truth of scripture as it’s taught in scripture, but that doesn’t make it any less true or any less there, instead it usually just points to the spiritual blindness of the reader. It’s interesting that one can’t see the Risen Christ as being able to keep those whom He saves secure in His care, but that same one can see men being able to “decide” to keep the faith based on their own “free will” apart from Christ’s power alone…interesting indeed, and wholly unbiblical I might add. This is a classic demonstration of gross self-righteousness and wicked sinful pride.

Clarkson says: Many walked with Jesus when they saw the signs which He did but Jesus did not commit Himself to them (John 2:23-24). How many “IF’S” did Jesus utilize in His teachings? What of the Holy Spirit? “The Spirit expressly (clearly) says that in latter times SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils”- 1 Timothy 4:1. The Holy Spirit’s teachings in that regard are crystal clear so why aren’t more of the church following that lead? What seducing spirits and doctrines of devils do you crave? Could one be that of John Calvin?

These seducing spirits lead many professing Christians into grave error, especially inside the professing church! Men crave to be gods, therefore they heap to themselves false teachers who will tickle their ears with what they want to hear: “Anybody can be saved!” “Just say the sinner’s prayer!” “Come down front right now and we’ll pray with you so that you can be born again!” “Just repeat this prayer after me…” Liars! Thieves! Deceivers! Anathema! The day a sinful man thinks he can become his own savior by repeating a false prayer to a false god in his own wicked heart is the day wherein Satan greatly rejoices! Apart from being drawn of the Holy Spirit by the Father and being given to Son as the Triune God covenanted to do before time there is no salvation. Jesus Christ’s blood was shed as a 100% effective propitiation for the sins of those for whom He died, and those for whom He died are those whom were predestined by God to be partakers in His eternal kingdom whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundations of the world. This book isn’t being written, is has been written and the number who will be saved is being fulfilled according to God’s own holy, divine, perfect and unchanging will.

Clarkson says: I have some people that have written in to this ministry that believes the 10 Commandments is still in force today. “You who attempt to be justied by law, you have fallen from grace” Galatians 5:4 plus Romans 10:3-4, Galatians 2:21. That is crystal clear to me but what about you? There can be no doubt that the Holy Spirit was the speaker in question in that verse. Our ministry is not one that cares about pleasing men as we have been entrusted with the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4-5) with no hidden agenda. Are you standing fast in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 3:8)?

Praise Jesus that He lived a perfectly sinless, righteous life that fulfilled God’s immutable, unchanging and unchangeable law which fully pleased His Father and Who willingly laid down his life so that His righteousness might be justly imputed to those who believe on Him by grace through faith alone fully justifying them before a Holy God, satisfying His holy wrath and justice which sin demands, and thereby perfectly and completely reconciling them unto Him forever and evermore!

Clarkson says: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us WHO ARE BEING SAVED, it is the power of God”- 1 Corinthians 1:18. Believers are in the process of being saved. No one has arrived yet as we are still in our flesh.

The Roman Catholic Church would happily agree that salvation is a process during which men cooperate with God to attain unto a right standing before Him, yet as we just saw above when touching on the atonement the Holy Bible clearly teaches that salvation is an instantaneous, specific event that occurs at a moment in time. One is not justified before God over time, it is an absolute announcement, a proclamation of ”NOT GUILTY!” for all those whose sins are covered by the perfect, sinless, atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the spotless, priceless Lamb of God when they are miraculously translated from spiritual death unto spiritual life and born-again of the Spirit. Certainly individual men are continually BEING SAVED at specific moments in time throughout the world as the glorious Gospel is proclaimed and God brings His formerly lost sheep into His fold, but salvation isn’t a process. You seem to have conflated salvation with sanctification which is the same gross error as is committed the RCC. I pray that you’ll quickly repent of this heresy.

Clarkson says: Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, AND WHEN HE IS WON, you make him twice the son of hell as yourselves”- Matthew 23:15. What happens when a Jehovah’s Witness brings a believer into their cult? Or a Christian Science person does the same thing? Does that believer stay a believer in the true Jesus Christ? Jesus says that a person can be won over to a cult which makes him twice the son of hell as themselves. That doesn’t sound much like eternal security to me! Of course, the Calvinist objection is, “Well, they were never really saved to begin with?” To those cultists out there I would sound this verse and I again repeat it for emphasis. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us WHO ARE BEING SAVED, it is the power of God”- 1 Corinthians 1:18. Not to those of us who “ARE” saved but to those of us who are “BEING” saved, which is a continual process. “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race the is set before us” Hebrews 12:1.

Again a sad failure to properly exegete scripture leads you into gross error. This is always the case with the unregenerate mind when it is confronted with the glorious truth of the Holy Writ. The scribes and Pharisees – and yes the cultists – do in fact “win” converts to their false systems of belief. Evidently even the Nazarenes can perform this feat. And the truth is that by their very actions these converts give evidence to the fact that, if they ever professed to be Christians, their professions of faith were utterly false as demonstrated by their unfaithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. We as runners in a race aren’t in competetion with other runners, we’re not even to look for how we may “measure up” to the other runners. Why is this? Because the mark, the measure, the comparison against which we are held is Jesus Christ Himself – in other words absolute perfection. We won’t achieve any such measure on this side of glory by our own powers or merit, but we who are true believers who have been purchased by His precious blood will run the race, faithfully, by His power alone until the very end which brings much glory to God.

Clarkson says: If eternal security exists for the believer why is there the need to run this race with endurance? “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” Hebrews 12:2. “He that endures to the end will be saved”, but what happens if you “DON’T” endure to the end?

Then the fact that you were never truly His is evidenced for all to see. The fact that one was a tare sown by the enemy, a false convert, a shallow weedy unbeliever is made manifest by those who don’t endure to the end because those who do endure to the end are those who were empowered by the God alone to do so. All others who try by their own merits and through their own power to endure to the end will fail miserably in their self-righteous ”vain traditions of men” schemes heaping shame and condemnation upon their own heads. The true believer WILL endure to the end and run their race well because according to the scriptures God Himself will ensure it.

Clarkson says: “It is IMPOSSIBLE (Sorry, Dr. Schuller, but that word DOES exist in the Bible) for those who were ONCE enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, AND HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and have tasted the good word of God and of the powers of the age to come, IF THEY FALL AWAY, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify AGAIN for themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame” Hebrews 6:4-6. I know there are many that explain away those verses as saying they applied specifically to Jewish Christians but the verse that says, “And have become partakers of the Holy Spirit” annuls that thinking. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God, would come upon someone and then leave, but what about in the New Testament? “Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”- Hebrews 10:29.

Sadly many read Hebrews 6:4-6 from their rebellious self-centered sin nature and exclaim, ”Aha! See, true believers can fall away, the Bible says so right there! Gotcha!” But this isn’t what the passage says at all, it’s only what the ”vain traditions of men” religionists will ALWAYS read into the passage from their own wicked, desperately sinful hearts because of their sin encrusted man-centered beliefs. What does Hebrews 6:4-6 really say? It only says that whoever satisfies the conditions listed and then withdraws from the faith cannot repent again. That’s what it says and that’s what it means. Does a true believer ever withdraw? It doesn’t say. Can a true believer ever withdraw from the faith? It doesn’t say. Has it ever happened? It doesn’t say. All we know for sure is that IF it were to happen (which this verse doesn’t say can or does happen) that person could not repent again. It’s only when men try to force their own views in between the lines of scripture and walk away with a message not in the scripture that anyone could twist Hebrews 6:4-6 into a proof text that true believers can indeed “fall away”. One has to approach this passage with an a priori motive which fully intends to come away with an unsupported “Aha!” interpretation in order to arrive at the unsupported conclusion that these verses disprove eternal security – when they manifestly don’t. For a deeper study on this subject I highly recommend reading Biblical Reflections on Hebrews 6 since those who point to this passage crying “you can fall away” are guilty of demanding that Christians must “hold onto” their salvation by their own power! These would say "The Risen Christ isn’t able to keep you secure, so you better take things into your own hands, brother!” The arrogance and self-righteousness of this type of perverse thinking is simply breathtaking!

Clarkson says: As for unconditional eternal security, there are a great many “IF’S” in the Bible that are tied to obedience. “You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. But IF anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. We are not those who draw back to perdition but of those who believe in the saving of the soul” Hebrews 10:36-39. IF ANYONE DRAWS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM BECAUSE THEY DRAW BACK TO PERDITION. Judas was one who drew back to perdition and was he a saved individual?

According to the Holy Bible Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas was “a devil” and that he was the “son of perdition” who was omnisciently chosen by Christ so that the scriptures might be fulfilled. If you’re actually uncertain about whether or not Judas Iscariot was a truly saved believer then you need to immediately stop whatever it is you’re doing right now and fall on your face before the Lord Jesus Christ and beg Him to save you, now! I’m not kidding, I’m pleading with you to please, please ask the Lord to have mercy on your soul and save you from your sins and trespasses. I’m fervently praying for you right now as I type these words because I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness and have no part in the kingdom of heaven.

Now back to the topic at hand, just as with Hebrews 6:4-6, what does Hebrews 10:36-39 say? It says IF anyone draws back. Do true believers draw back? It doesn’t say. Can false converts draw back? Surely they can because they were never true believers in the first place, and Judas Isacariot is a shameful example of exactly this type of professing believer who was never a true born-again believer.

Clarkson says: “If (that operative word again), after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (obedience and belief), they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them”- 2 Peter 2:20-21. That is why the Holy Spirit clearly warns the church about apostasy in the latter days for they have fallen away over seducing spirits which produce doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1). In effect, they have been taken captive by the devil to do his will all the while believing that they are saved individuals (2 Timothy 2:26).

There isn’t a even a hint of saving knowledge in this verse and I find it appalling that you would insert the words “obedience and belief” into the text when THEY DON’T APPEAR THERE! This is a shameful and deceitful tactic that’s most frequently employed by the arch-deceiver Satan himself. Lots of people come into the possession of a “head knowledge” of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Lots of people profess to be Christians and may even live out their lives as though they are His followers. And lots of those same people will be rejected and condemned by Him in judgment because all their knowledge stopped in their heads and never took root in their hearts. The devils believe in God and tremble - Satan’s theology is quite orthodox - and like the devil and his angels those who have head knowledge of God but are without the new heart that comes only from true spiritual rebirth by the unmerited gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone will find themselves cast into hell fire forever.

Clarkson says: In a few more days I shall post again on more specific material related to Calvinism.

I must say that I’m very excited about your forthcoming “specific material” because I’m truly enjoying these wonderful opportunities to shine the bright light of the Holy Writ upon the myriad errors, fabrications, and outright falsehoods that are being exposed by the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in these ongoing posts. Please keep them coming!

In Christ,
CD

On Salvation

2008-03-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

"Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are "born again", for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it - the being "born again", is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou can hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus. To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been "born again", your acknowledgement will be, "O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, Thou art my spiritual Parent; unless Thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins'. My heavenly life is wholly derived from Thee, to Thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God'. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me." May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.

This devotional was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

Exposing Error: King James Onlyism 2

2008-03-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

From Pulpit Magazine, a ministry of Shepherds' Fellowship:

We’ve noticed that the King James Only discussion has appeared in some of the recent comment threads. So we thought we would take a brief detour to address that issue, before continuing our study of the charismatic gifts. The following is a study our elders at Grace Community Church put together regarding the King James Version. This detour will take us just a few days, after which we will resume our discussion of the gifts.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Exposing Error: King James Onlyism

2008-03-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

A Response to a Brother in Christ: Dr. Morris' "Defense" of the King James Bible Reviewed by James White

The June, 1996 edition of Back to Genesis contains a short, 3-page article titled, Should Creationists Abandon the King James Version? The article, unfortunately, repeats the same erroneous arguments that KJV Only advocates have been putting forth for a number of years now. It is regrettable that Dr. Morris would lend his weight to these kinds of arguments. I was heartened, to some degree, a few years ago when Dr. Morris withdrew his endorsement of Gail Riplinger's book, New Age Bible Versions, a work that has been rejected as utterly inaccurate and without merit by nearly every knowledgeable Bible scholar and minister that has reviewed it. When I spoke with Dr. Morris at that time, he repeated his preference for the KJV, but admitted that he had not read Mrs. Riplinger's work well enough to realize what it really contained.

The arguments put forward by Dr. Morris are thoroughly examined and, in each case, refuted, in my full-length work, The King James Only Controversy (Bethany House, 1995). However, as the questions that are raised by Dr. Morris are common, I would like to comment on them in passing.

Dr. Morris, throughout the article, falls into the trap of making the KJV the "standard" by which all others are judged. The problem is, the KJV is not the standard, and cannot be the standard. Think about it for just a moment. Were there not translations before the KJV? Of course. Wycliffe, Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, the Bishops' Bible, and so forth, all served the needs of English speaking Christians prior to 1611. So why not choose one of these as the "standard"?

Continue reading here.

Perseverance of the Saints

2008-03-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

by John F. MacArthur, Jr.

Peter's life exemplifies what the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints means in the life of a faltering believer. Christ's present intercessory prayers assure that genuine believers will be saved to the uttermost. This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Those with true faith will not lead perfect lives, though some have attributed such a claim to proponents of working-faith salvation. The teaching of "once saved, always saved" may carry the false implication that after "accepting Christ" a person may live any kind of life and still be saved. That leaves out the doctrine of perseverance, which carries with it the need for a holy life. Peter in his first epistle furnishes six means through which God causes every Christian to persevere: by regenerating them to a living hope, by keeping them through His power, by strengthening them through tests of faith, by preserving them for ultimate glory, by motivating them with love for the Savior, and by saving them through a working faith. Quantification of how much failure the doctrine of perseverance allows is impossible, but Jesus did prescribe a way for the church to deal with a professing believer whose life sin had seemingly come to dominate.

In order to place the doctrine of perseverance in proper light we need to know what it is not. It does not mean that every one who professes faith in Christ and who is accepted as a believer in the fellowship of the saints is secure for eternity and may entertain the assurance of eternal salvation. Our Lord himself warned his followers in the days of his flesh when he said to those Jews who believed on him, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye truly my disciples, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32). He set up a criterion by which true disciples might be distinguished, and that criterion is continuance in Jesus' Word.

Continue reading here.

Exposing Error: David Stewart

2008-03-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

In the interest of providing a Biblical counterpoint to SPM 1's ongoing series on Reformed/Calvinist thought I'd like to offer the following analysis of their article entitled A Link on the Topic of Calvinism which back links to the article discussed in my post below.

From "What a mess! Calvinism…Hyper-Calvinism…Arminianism?" by David Stewart:

Stewart says: “The concept of original sin is demonic. We are NOT held accountable for Adam's sin, but we suffer because of his sin.”

I respond: Prove it with scripture! The Bible says:

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Stewart says: “God told Adam and Eve that they would die the very day they ate of the forbidden fruit, but they didn't die when they ate the fruit (Genesis 2:17). Why didn't they die? They did die, but it was a spiritual death; not physical. Thus, every human being born into this world since Adam has been born spiritually dead, void of God. When a man is "born again," his dead spirit is made alive by God's Holy Spirit.”

I ask: What precisely does a dead man do for himself? Calvinists would fully affirm Stewart’s assessment of man’s spiritual death from birth since this is the plain, consistent teaching of scripture. So now we’re faced with a real dilemma; how can a dead man come to life either spiritually or physically?

Can the dead man ask for life? No, that’s impossible because he’s D-E-A-D.

Does he need to metaphorically “swallow the medicine” of the Gospel to cure the deadly illness of sin? No, he can’t swallow because he’s not merely sick, he’s D-E-A-D.

Like Lazarus being called forth the dead are only raised by the One True and Living God as evidenced by scripture. This applies to both physical death as we can see in the resurrection and spiritual death as we can see by sovereign, monergistic justification by grace through faith alone.

From whence is the fountainhead of grace? It is from God Himself.

From whence is faith? It is from God Himself.

From whence is justification? It is from God Himself.

From whence is salvation? It is the gift of God and not of works lest any man should boast. Is “choosing”, “accepting”, or “receiving” Christ a work? If so, is it a work of man or is it the work of God?

I ask: “Are you a Christian?” I surely hope your response would be affirmative. If so, do you know people; friends, relatives, acquaintances who are not Christians? I surely hope your response would be affirmative on this point as well. So now, I would ask another question; Why are you a Christian while your friends, relatives, and acquaintances are not?”

Did you choose better than they?

Are you smarter than they?

Are you wiser or more holy than they?

Are you in possession of greater knowledge about God and therefore in a better position to make an informed decision than they?

How can you explain the fact that you are a Christian while your friends, relatives and acquaintances are not apart from God's work of divine electing grace? The only remaining option is a form self-righteous pride couched in the subtle idolatry of a works based salvation, i.e. ”I chose correctly and they chose badly.” This is called synergism and is the belief that men cooperate with God to effect their own salvation. Incidentally this is the position taught by the Roman Catholic Church, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Mormon LDS, practically every false religion on earth, and free will Arminianism as espoused by the majority of modern professing churches. You’ll find synergism taught nowhere in the Holy Bible.

Standing over against synergism is monergism. This is the belief that God alone saves those whom He will according to His own perfect and holy sovereign plan, for His own glory, and because of no intrinsic merit or worth that He sees that is in - or will be in - those sinners whom He miraculously translates from spiritual death unto spiritual life out of His boundless oceans of undeserved mercy, pity, and love. Salvation is all of God and is all of grace. This is the position taught by the Reformed/Calvinist professing churches and the Holy Bible.

Stewart says: ”Calvin misunderstood the Word of God. The Bible does indeed teach that it is IMPOSSIBLE for mankind to save himself. Mark 10:25-27 reads, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible). Yet, the Word of God also proclaims that "whosoever will" (anyone) can get saved, a view that Calvinists and Hyper-Calvinists do NOT hold. Romans 10:13 plainly teaches, "For WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." It is certainly Biblical that salvation is absolutely 100% of God. We read in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." But for Calvinists and Hyper-Calvinists to teach that God is "selective" in choosing who will or won't be saved is certainly NOT Biblical. Titus 2:11 clearly teaches, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." Did you read that...ALL men? Calvin believed that only certain sinners of God's choosing would be saved. Romans 10:13 plainly teaches that "WHOSOEVER" will may come to be saved (and Arminius believed this). John 3:16 proclaims that God loved the WORLD enough to send His only begotten Son to pay for our sins. Calvinism and Hyper-Calvinism are wrong to teach that God chooses who will be saved.

I respond: Based on his reckless mishandling of scripture it’s clear that it is David Stewart who has misunderstood the Word of God. First Stewart affirms the scripture teaches the impossibility of mankind saving himself (i.e. becoming justified by his own actions), then he turns around and says that it possible for anyone to save himself (i.e. to become justified by his own actions)! Which is it? Stewart commits precisely the same error as all who hold a high view of man and a low view of scripture and that is to demand mercy from God. I wonder if Stewart is similarly offended that everyone everywhere wasn’t invited onto Noah’s ark before the flood? I wonder if Stewart is stewing over the fact that God made Israel His covenant people in the Old Testament instead of making everyone in the whole world His covenant people? Stewart continues in his unbroken pattern of error by wresting the scriptures and demanding that whosever will must mean that salvation depends on sinful men’s choices instead of a Holy God’s choice. Stewart says it isn’t Biblical to believe that God chooses who to save, even after he quotes the scriptures that teach no man can come to Christ unless the Father draws him! Amazing! How are these men to choose apart from God drawing them and how are they to be drawn unless God chooses to draw them? The absurdity is mind boggling! But foolishness, irrationality, and illogical gibberish are the hallmarks of the unregenerate and desperately sinful human mind when it is confronted with the truth of God’s Word.

According to his own argument Stewart ought to believe, like every Calvinist would affirm, that WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.", and then he should also believe that "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." There’s nothing even remotely contradictory in these statements. Those whom the Father draws to Christ will be the “whosoever” that shall call upon the name of the Lord and they shall be saved to the uttermost and shall in no wise be lost.

With this in mind unless he’s advocating the heresy of universalism – that everyone will be saved – then Stewart’s following statement doesn’t make any sense at all: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." Did you read that...ALL men? Calvin believed that only certain sinners of God's choosing would be saved. Now I don’t think that Stewart believes everyone is going to be saved so I’m going to assume he’s simply confused here and thus fails to make any cogent point whatsoever.

Continuing Stewart says: John Calvin taught heresy when he taught that God chooses people to be saved. There is NOT one Scripture in the entire Word of God which teaches that God chooses anyone to be saved. The Bible teaches that all believers were predestined to "be conformed to the image of His Son," NOT predestined to salvation ("For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" -Romans 8:29). Calvinism teaches predestination unto salvation. This is unbiblical. God NEVER chooses anyone for salvation, Scriptures such as Acts 17:30 make this abundantly clear ("...but now commandeth all men every where to repent"). Why would God command ALL men to repent if only certain men have been chosen for salvation.

When refuting similar error espoused by Dave Hunt, James White of Alpha & Omega ministries inserted the following comments into a dialogue between himself and Hunt (White's comments in bold): Indisputably, the phrases themselves which are represented by the first four letters in the acronym TULIP never appear in the entire Bible. [Neither does the word Trinity, nor “pre-tribulation rapture” to use a term you frequently utilize, but as anyone can see, the use of specific terms is not the issue: the phrase “free will” does not appear in the context of man’s alleged ability to freely choose or reject Christ, either. The issue is, does the Bible teach the concept that is described by phrases like Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, etc.] That fact should speak volumes. [It doesn’t] Where is it stated in plain words that men are by nature incapable of believing the gospel or of seeking God? [That would be John 6:44, Romans 8:7-8, and Romans 3:10-11, just to name a few representative samples] Where does it say in clear language that men are chosen unconditionally to salvation [Ephesians 1:3-11, Romans 8:28-31, etc.], or that grace is irresistible [every passage that describes the work of salvation as a divinely powerful and radical change, such as the removal of the heart of stone and the giving of a heart of flesh (Eze. 36:26) or the giving of life to the dry bones (Eze. 37) and every passage that says that we are saved by grace alone (Eph. 1:6) teach the divine power of saving grace, which is all irresistible grace is about] or that Christ died only for a select few? [We do not believe it is a few, we believe it was for all the elect, which no man can number, and the plain words would be such passages as Matthew 1:21, Romans 8:31-34, Eph. 5:25, etc.] Where does it say explicitly that one must be sovereignly regenerated without any understanding or faith before one can understand and believe the gospel? [This is the constant misrepresentation of the Reformed position that is found throughout your work. God uses the proclamation of the gospel as the means of bringing the knowledge of Christ to His elect. The fact that regeneration precedes saving faith is found in numerous passages, such as John 1:12-13, 1 John 5:1, etc., and is likewise substantiated by the description of faith as a gift given by God, Phil. 1:29] The Calvinist cannot produce for any part of TULIP a clear, unambiguous statement from any part of Scripture! [That is wishful thinking, Dave, and has been refuted above] Calvinism must therefore be imposed upon certain texts because it cannot be derived from any. [An assertion that any person who has taken the time to read both sides knows is far beyond any kind of rational basis]

And with respect to Stewart’s concern about Acts 17:30 we can easily see commands throughout scripture that God gives despite His knowledge that men will not and cannot keep them. This truth ought to drive men to their knees in contrition and repentance before God, not make them haughty and self righteous resulting in their mimicking of the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not like the tax collector who nevertheless smote his breast and went home justified. Acts 17:30 is succinctly explained here by the Reformation Theology blog.

Thus saith David Stewart: There really is NO debate concerning Arminianism, Calvinism, and Hyper-Calvinism if you simply take the Word of God at face value...they're all messed up!

And again: Calvinism is unbiblical heresy!

I respond: I partially agree with Stewart's first statement (Arminianism and hyper-Calvinism are all messed up), and I know where and why I agree and disagree with him. But I don’t know how grounded his other readers may be in the scriptures and apparently Stewart is quite fond of making numerous false, bald assertions that have no basis in reality whatsoever – and he doesn’t seem terribly bothered by this bad habit - although his readership should be.

Stewart continues: The Bible teaches universal atonement. Like it or not, the Word of God is our Final Authority, NOT Spurgeon or any other man. 1st John 2:2 reads, ""And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 2nd Corinthians 5:15, "And that he died for all..." We read in 1st Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. The Word of God proclaims that Christ came to save sinners, not just certain sinners. Listen to the plain teaching of 2nd peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This Scripture clearly reveals that it is possible for ALL men to repent. God is NOT willing for any to perish. If Calvinism is correct, then how can you reconcile God's desire for all men to repent if He only predestinates certain of them to salvation? Calvinism makes no sense at all.

Actually it’s Stewart that doesn’t make sense, and he clearly hasn’t bothered to actually learn anything substantive about Calvinism apart from the boogey-man stories he seems to have been taught by his vain traditions of men religion. Stewart demonstrates that he doesn’t bother to study and show himself approved by utterly failing to note the context in which “the whole world” and similar verses he points toward are used. In their original contexts they are used to explain to the ethnically Jewish Christians who comprised most of the early church that salvation had come to the Gentiles (the world) as opposed to being limited strictly to the children of Israel, who were theretofore God’s only and unique covenant people.

Additionally Stewart’s theology is shown to be absolutely wretched because if the atonement is universal - as he claims - then it necessarily follows that salvation must be universal as well. This is because Christ’s shed blood is a 100% effective propitiation for sin, meaning all those for whom His blood was shed will be saved. Therefore if He died for everyone in general and no one in particular then everyone in general must be saved or else the Father is made to be a liar, casting men into hell for whom Christ died. This also makes the church, the bride of Christ, an absurdity because it means Christ didn’t have a specific group (the church) in mind when He gave His life as a ransom for many. Since Christ was and is omniscient God, and since according to Stewart Christ had the whole world in mind as recipients of His blood sacrifice, and if the Father then doesn’t draw all men to Jesus, resulting in some of them being lost and cast into hell, then based on Stewart’s theology Christ’s suffering and death on the cross was a failure of cosmic proportions! If Stewart is correct then it means some of those “world in general” types Jesus had in view on the cross will not be saved meaning He will have failed to accomplish His redemptive task. And he says Calvinism makes no sense?

The truth is that unless he espouses the heresy of universalism then Stewart himself must believe in a limited atonement; that atonement being limited to those within the professing church. In this case a limited atonement must be in view for every professing Christian, the scope of that limitation being the only point in dispute.

Stewart says: Furthermore, God never forces anyone to be saved. Not one instance in the Word of God is found where God forced anyone to get saved. Again, Titus 2:11 declares that the grace of God that brings salvation appears to ALL humanity. Psalm 19:1-3 clearly teaches that nature itself testifies of the goodness of God. Romans 1:20 teaches that God's eternal power and Godhead are CLEARLY presented in God's creation. Therefore, all men are without excuse. The Door of salvation is open to all, and that Door is Jesus Christ. Anyone may enter, but God will NOT force a man to be saved. Calvin taught heresy. Jesus clearly exposes the lie of irresistible grace when he said in John 5:40, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Jesus said, "ye WILL NOT"; He didn't say, "ye CANNOT!"

I respond: Again Calvinists affirm that God doesn’t force anyone to be saved. This is because no one naturally desires salvation or the things of God. Men naturally loathe and reject anything to do with God because they’re desperately wicked and self-righteous desiring to be gods themselves. It’s only by the effective regenerating power of the Holy Spirit on the elect that empowers them to approach God and become recipients of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It’s not as if God is withholding something from men that they desire, no one naturally desires Him apart from His effectual drawing. This is why Jesus could rightly claim that men will not come to him, because they WON’T (will not). Men WILL NOT “self-will” themselves to come to God, because only God can will them to come to Himself. Clearly by implication and simple inference we can see that if men will not come to God of their own accord apart from God drawing them to Himself, then it follows that they CANNOT come to Him apart from His drawing either.

Sadly David Stewart's article was so filled with shameful exegesis, blatant errors, gross distortions, and outright falsehoods that it would take days to point out and refute them all. Given the examples above I believe I've offered sufficient scriptural evidence to refute David Stewart's error riddled man-centered theology, therefore I’m going to leave off by simply asking anyone who happens to follow the link to the original article to take a discerning look at David Stewart’s home page and carefully consider the totality of his online "ministry" in the light of the manifold errors contained in the poor offering we've covered today.

On Doctrine

2008-03-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

Andew Clarkson over at Spiritual Pathways Ministries 1 is beginning a March series on Calvinism. I'm hoping to participate in a spirited exchange with Andrew and David Norris on this subject, in particular as the discussion relates to the doctrines of grace as expounded by the statistical minority of Reformed/Calvinist believers which stand over and against the doctrines of free will Arminianism which are espoused by the vast majority of the broader professing church.

Clarkson's first installment is entitled Calvinism - Prologue: "Manichaeism". In my view the foundation laid in this article is an unveiled effort to disparage Calvin's character through "guilt by association" tactics which are clearly intended to cast doubt on Reformed theology as articulated by John Calvin on the basis of views held by some of his contemporaries coupled with his own experiences in the Roman Catholic Church from which, by the grace of God alone, he separated himself. At best this is shaky ground from which to launch an intellectual/Biblical assault, and at worst it's a rank example of the logical fallacy of ad hominem. I'm a firm believer in earnestly discussing our doctrinal positions and reasoning from the Holy Scriptures since this is the only way to arrive at God's revealed truth.

Certainly few would argue that John Calvin was a "saint" or some similar Christ figure - he wasn't. He was a depraved sinner in desperate need of a Savior like all men apart from Jesus Christ Himself. Fewer still would argue that the Reformation ended with Calvin and that there's no more reforming to be done in the church. I am personally on record bemoaning the sad fact that the Reformers didn't do enough to cut clean the poisoned umbilical cord that tied the early Protestant church to Rome with such absurdly unscriptural doctrines as infant baptism and transubstantiation.

But regardless of the sins of the man there's no disputing that the Holy Bible itself is the source of the doctrines of grace, not John Calvin or any other human being. Some would argue that the doctrines of grace, as perhaps best articulated by John Calvin, are unbiblical concepts that were simply cobbled together by an error ridden wolf in sheep's clothing. These will often claim that they are merely following the truth where it leads - taking the high road - in contradistinction to being beholden to unseemly "doctrines of men". Yet isn't it interesting that many of the same individuals who make this claim follow after the error ridden teachings of Joseph Arminius and his modern day spiritual offspring?

I'm looking forward to your series, guys.

From Everlasting

2008-02-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2)

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for His people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was "from everlasting" that He signed the compact with His Father, that He would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of His people; it was "from everlasting" that He gave Himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of His head to the sole of His foot He might sweat great drops of blood, that He might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus "from everlasting". Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but His delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did He think of them; from everlasting to everlasting He had set His affection upon them. What! My soul, has He been so long about thy salvation, and will not He accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me now? What! Has He carried me in His hand, and His precious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His fingers? Did He choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will He reject me now? Impossible! I am sure He would not have loved me so long if He had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, He would have turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to Him by His Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

Bring It On!

2008-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

HAT TIP: The Bororean

No Cross to Bear

2008-02-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)

Vast swaths of the professing church have no cross to bear. Through both word and deed they reject the hard demands of Jesus and opt instead for an easy believism that says "You can have your cake and eat it too, brothers and sisters!". These blind guides of the blind teach their itching ears followers a sickly sweet compromised gospel that assures them of their Best Life, NOW!"

Smiling like crocodiles and with a glimmer in their eyes they send their deceived congregants home week after week singing of a heaven they'll never see and praising a Jesus Who will will rebuke and condemn them on judgment day.

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:23)

What does the Lord mean here when he rejects the workers of iniquity and who are they?

INIQUITY
in-ik'-wi-ti (`awon; anomia): In the Old Testament of the 11 words translated "iniquity," by far the most common and important is `awon (about 215 times). Etymologically, it is customary to explain it as meaning literally "crookedness," "perverseness," i.e. evil regarded as that which is not straight or upright, moral distortion (from `iwwah, "to bend," "make crooked," "pervert"). Driver, however (following Lagarde), maintains that two roots, distinct in Arabic, have been confused in Hebrew, one = "to bend," "pervert" (as above), and the other = "to err," "go astray";

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Few...

Few there be that find it.

We can see that the Lord is rebuking a group of lawbreakers, a group who is guilty of committing lewdness, crookedness, and perverseness in contradistinction to being straight, upright, and moral according to God's Holy commandments. I should point out here that I'm not advancing a works based salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith and is a miraculous and sovereign work of God alone. Yet God's holy demands are irrevocable and it is His Spirit that empowers and enables the regenerate to holy and righteous living before His face.

It's interesting to note in the verses leading up to verse 23 a group is described who will call Jesus "Lord" and who will recite a litany of good works they've performed in His name. Still more interesting in this discourse we see that the Lord does not deny or make any effort to refute the works claimed, nor does he dispute that the lawbreakers did the works in His name, rather He simply commands them to depart from Him and summarily states that He never knew them! Clearly Jesus is the omniscient God Almighty so He mustn't mean that He has no idea who they are, rather He is unequivocally stating that He was never in a relationship with them. They are strangers to His covenant of grace, and hence are guilty and condemned covenant breakers.

I have little doubt that this stinging rebuke and rejection of the King of Glory strikes the unregenerate false believers as a complete and utter surprise.

They believed they knew Him!

They claimed their good works were performed in His name!

And the Lord doesn't even deny their claims! Is there some mistake here? Is the Lord guilty of unreasonably and arbitrarily rejecting true, regenerate born-again Christian men and women? God forbid!

The truth of the matter is that the false believers pictured in this terrible and frightful verse in Matthew are typical of the sort of lukewarm Laodician Christian who is so prevalent in the modern professing church. Today's church is a hothouse within which "shallow root", "weedy" false Christians thrive. These are the tares sown by the enemy which spring up alongside the true wheat of the Lord. This is the false church which exists side by side with the true invisible church. These are the stooges and pawns of the enemy who trust in themselves that they are righteous. They are self righteousness exemplified, an object lesson in damnation.

I personally believe the Lord doesn't bother attempting to refute their works claims because their claims are truthful and accurate as far as they go. By the measure of man they probably did many admirable and noble works in the Lord's name during their time on the earth. They were probably model citizens, faithful church attenders, good parents, community volunteers, and cheerful givers. No doubt within their ranks were pastors, deacons, elders and church leaders and congregants of all stripes. I would imagine they were a congenial and generally wonderful group of people while on this side of glory.

But they had a spiritual problem. They didn't know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

What does this verse mean? We can clearly see here that Jesus is addressing the very type of person who verbally and/or intellectually assents to Christ's truth claims, but fails to submit to Him as Lord and Savior. This describes the exact types of false believers - the very same individuals - that are rejected by the Lord in Matthew 7:23!

Trusting in Jesus Christ as one's Lord and Savior isn't simply repeating a "sinner's prayer" or "believing in God". Trusting in Christ is believing God and acting on that belief through repentance and humble submission to His Word, including His hard commands. It's the total abandonment of self to apprehend Christ.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Jesus was serious about people surrendering their all in order to follow Him. He didn't preach a gospel that allows men to keep one foot in heaven and the other foot in the world, quite the opposite in fact. Jesus challenged men to be willing, able, and even eager to give up all their worldly comforts, their families, wives, children, reputations, inheritances, even their very lives if called upon by Him to do so. His message was so important, and His demands were so strident that scripture records how time and again He turned away the half-hearted adherents, the curious hangers-on, and the "seekers" by the thousands.

Had they been around in those days there's no doubt that many within the ranks of our modern "evangelical leadership" - so called - would have criticized Christ and counseled Him to soften His approach because of His habit of turning away so many "prospects", so many "seekers". They would have upbraided the Lord and critiqued His application based on His paltry numbers and the puny - and motley! - crew He actually managed to attract and retain during His earthly ministry. I can almost hear them now:

"Aw, c'mon Jesus! You had at least 5,000 men out there, probably 15,000 total when you count the women and children who were literally eating out of Your hands! You had them so engaged in the message, they were practically fainting out there! Oh, and You blew it, You just blew it!

Just think of all the tithes and offerings we could have received from them! And did you stop to consider all the programs we could have implemented and how many churches we could have planted with all that help! You've got to loosen up a little bit and show a little more tolerance for those who don't believe like You do! You're a little overly focused on doctrine, everything isn't black and white You know, we have to be able to operate in the gray areas and speak the truth in love! Sometimes we have to be willing to re-think things and meet people where they are, You know, compromise a little here and there. After all, a little give and take never hurts anything! We shouldn't let a few little doctrinal disagreements cost us fellowship! You have to be careful not to let Your spirituality become a divisive issue that could be construed by other people as being abusive. Let's try to work together to find common ground and seek to gain an understanding of what others think and how they feel so we can have more unity!"

Does this aforementioned line of reasoning sound familiar? It should because by and large today's Bible-lite circus churches are measured and managed like for-profit corporations as opposed to being carefully and lovingly tended as Christ's little flock. These are those who are more interested in obtaining a false temporal "unity" through compromise than they are in counting the costs and serving the Glorious Risen Lord with abandon, dedication, and unwavering singleness of heart. But, I suppose when you answer to the bottom line instead of answering to the Creator it becomes easier to seek after nickels and noses and ignore the weightier matters of the Gospel of grace.

With no cross to bear today's false professing Christians shamefully abuse themselves and call it the "liberty of the Lord". They profess Christ with their mouths but deny Him in their hearts. And just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow lest they repent of their sinful ways they will someday hear those awful and terrible words ..."depart from Me"...

Yes Margaret, I'm a Fundie

2008-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

I posted the following comment over at Mike Ratliff's Possessing the Treasure in his thread entitled The Root of Liberal Theology in response to an apparent sniper shot by what I suspect to be the appearance of an all-too-common Internet fauna known as the Bottom Feeding Blog Troll (Blogus Interruptus Maximus). This particular specimen was named "Ed Darrell". My comment was as follows:

It's telling that Ed Darrell sets up the absurd false-dichotomy straw man argument that fundamentalist Christians are "stuck in advocacy of racism, slavery, ignorance (such as creationism) and family violence" in apparent contradistinction to the "enlightened" and "moderate" progressives. Egads! I actually chuckled when I read Mr. Darrel's silly, intellectually clumsy, and cartoonish caricature of the unthinking, mindless, so-called "fundie-Christian" which is in fact non-existent outside the cult fringes of Christianity. He also tips his hand by inserting "creationism" into the mix and effectively equating it with racism, slavery and family violence. The illogical stream is connected so as to make them part and parcel of one another. It's akin to Mr. Darrell being asked if he is still beating his wife and children each evening or if he has stopped - in other words it's hogwash and smacks of a disingenuous a priori motivation. In my experience only manipulative women, politicians, and the weak minded use such emotionally charged language when trying to frighten their respective audiences into the suppliant's position.

The scary "boogey-man" Bible-thumping "fundie-Christian" of Mr. Darrel's fevered high-noon fantasies is a myth, a vapor, and a hoax. It's a self-serving sham that's perpetrated by those who esteem themselves as refined and sensible, and who often draw close to the Lord with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. These have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. How sad for them in this life, not to mention their fate in the hereafter.

In point of fact over the past couple of thousand years true born-again Christians have by the power of The One True and Living God been the driving force behind the advancement and betterment of human civilization and culture in this sin sick and fallen world. The world has benefited immensely by the mystery of God's common grace and His work through His people, the Body of Christ, the church invisible, though the world is unworthy of both.

I don't care to venture a guess as to why Mr. Darrell would spew such vile, false, and bigoted rhetoric, but it does speak volumes about his sad and badly misinformed worldview.

May we who are called by the Name of the Lord pray for those who would compromise His Truth for a temporal false unity! May we never fear the sideways glances, raised eyebrows, and disdain of the world that would look upon us with contempt for taking up our crosses daily and following after King Jesus! May we esteem the praise of God above the praise of men and never be ashamed of the scandal of the Eternal Gospel, of Christ crucified, dead, buried and victoriously raised on the third day to life everlasting! May we embrace the shame of our Lord and count ourselves unworthy to share in his sufferings!

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After dealing with first things first I proceeded to expand on Mike's article by adding a few more thoughts in a follow up comment which incorporated portions from a recent post of mine entitled "It Stands Alone" and material gleaned from Dr. Robert L. Reymond's magnificent tome entitled "A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith":

My apologies for chasing after a red herring in my prior comment, Mike.

Back to your point at hand. I'd like to add a few thoughts to your damning indictment of Bultman and his modern day spiritual progeny. As you're no doubt aware Bultman was among the early primary architects of neo-orthodoxy which is enjoying a not so surprising resurgence among the recent crop of emergent/emerging heresy-mongers. Yet just like neo-orthodoxy which was theologically D.O.A. - stillborn if you will - the emergent/emerging ooze will find themselves relegated to the dustbin of church history because their false views are based on the shifting sands of subjectivism and cultural relevance instead of being set upon the solid Rock of the Eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Eternal Gospel stands alone.

Culture changes, the Eternal Gospel doesn't.

Intellectual fads come and go, the Eternal Gospel doesn't.

Men who are filled with the pride of life rise and fall, the Eternal Gospel doesn't.

The big hint and easy explanation for this phenomenon is given away in the descriptor "Eternal". I used to wonder why so many would fancy themselves as autonomous arbiters of truth; setting their own sinful reasoning powers up as the highest court of appeals by which all truth claims must be scrutinized, up to and including the truth claims of Almighty God Himself. I state that I used to wonder about this in times past because I've come to know the simple truth: It's because of sin. Every area of fallen man's being has been wholly corrupted by the dreaded perversion of sin, including his reasoning powers.

Christians are not called to compromise the Word of God by adulterating it with the hodge podge spirituality and so-called wisdom of this fallen world. In fact to compromise the infallible, immutable, eternal, and plenary counsel of the One True and Living God as contained uniquely within the Holy Bible is the very pinnacle of satanic hubris and wickedness!

Shouldn't Christians go to God's Word alone to discover His solution to the problems of our day and the solution to the culture? For in God's Word we find that the Eternal Gospel is the solution to the culture! There's nothing new or fancy here! God's plan, His strategy hasn't changed one bit and not one jot or one tittle of His Word needs modification to make it "relevant" or to make it "work" neither yesterday, today, nor tomorrow. This is because it is the ETERNAL GOSPEL! It changes not!!

In point of fact it is ONLY the Eternal Gospel that changes men; GOD FORBID IT SHOULD EVER BE THOUGHT TO BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!

Oh! How far modern Christianity has fallen from the Lord Jesus Christ! Surely men have made gods of themselves and perverted the ETERNAL GOSPEL in favor of a watered down, man-centered, cotton candy, sinless, bloodless, compromised, Nerf theology that's fit for nothing! The modern non-gospel embraced by vast swaths of professing Christianity is no gospel at all!

It's a tool of political expediency!

It's wide tent of paganized spirituality!

It's an idolatrous abomination and offense to the One True and Living God!

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)

Look, the Holy Bible contains God's strategy for changing the culture - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains God's strategy for changing men's hearts - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains God's strategy for making foolish the wisdom of this world - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains the cure for the culture - preaching the gospel!

So why is it that so many within the broader professing church itself insist on corrupting the simplicity of the gospel by blending it, marginalizing it, ignoring it, assimilating it, being ashamed of it, hiding it, twisting it, perverting it, allegorizing it, spiritualizing it, and thereby outright denying it?

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thess. 2:11-12)

Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1)

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:16)

"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27)

According to the Holy Bible the preaching of the gospel is God's chosen strategy to change men's sinful hearts and the church is not permitted to modify it. Men are not permitted by God to substitute their own strategies in place of His own Holy Counsel!

Another neo-orthodox advocate, James Barr, gave a telling admission that it is the "fundamentalist" who has read the scriptures correctly in his book "Revelation Through History in the Old Testament and in Modern Theology". This admission reminded Dr. Robert L. Reymond in his magnum opus "A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith" of Kirsopp Lake's oft-quoted acknowledgement in his tome "The Religion of Yesterday and Tomorrow":

"It is a mistake often made by educated persons who happen to have but little knowledge of historical theology to suppose that fundamentalism is a new and strange form of thought. It is nothing of the kind; it is the partial and uneducated survival of a theology which was once universally held by all Christians. How many were there, for instance, in Christian churches in the eighteenth century who doubted the infallible inspiration of all Scripture? A few, perhaps, but very few. No, the fundamentalist may be wrong; I think that he is. But it is we who have departed from the tradition, not he; and I am sorry for the fate of anyone who tries to argue with a fundamentalist on the basis of authority. The Bible and the corpus theologicum of the Church are on the fundamentalist side. (emphasis mine).

Quote taken from Dr. Robert L. Reymond's "A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith", page 16.

Yea, Hath God Said?

2008-02-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

"He hath said." (Hebrews 13:5)

If can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God's covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death; will not the corruptions within, and the snares without; will not the trials from above, and the temptations from beneath, all seem but light afflictions, when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of "He hath said"? Yes; whether for delight in our quietude, or for strength in our conflict "He hath said" must be our daily resort. And this may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it, you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopoeia of Scripture, and you may yet continue sick unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what "He hath said". Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the verses of renowned poets; ought you not to be profound in your knowledge of the words of God, so that you may be able to quote them readily when you would solve a difficulty, or overthrow a doubt? Since "He hath said" is the source of all wisdom, and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly as "A well of water, springing up unto everlasting life". So shall you grow healthy, strong, and happy in the divine life.

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

On Sin

2008-02-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

"The Christianity which is from the Holy Spirit will always have a very deep view of the sinfulness of sin. It will not merely regard sin as a blemish and misfortune, which makes men and women objects of pity, and compassion. It will see in sin the abominable thing which God hates, the thing which makes man guilty and lost in his Maker's sight, the thing which deserves God's wrath and condemnation. It will look on sin as the cause of all sorrow and unhappiness, of strife and wars, of quarrels and contentions, of sickness and death--the curse which cursed God's beautiful creation, the cursed thing which makes the whole earth groan and struggle in pain. Above all, it will see in sin the thing which will ruin us eternally, unless we can find a ransom,--lead us captive, except we can get its chains broken,--and destroy our happiness, both here and hereafter, except we fight against it, even unto death. Is this your religion? Are these your feelings about sin? If not, you should doubt whether your religion is authentic." —J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

HAT TIP: The Bororean

Never, Never, Never Give Up

2008-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own who are caught within the apostate emergent camp and crying “Come out of her”!

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own who are mired within the apostate RCC and crying “Come out of her”!

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own who are trapped within the apostate Devil Driven Church and crying “Come out of her”!

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own who are in bondage within the apostate Word Faith Movement and crying “Come out of her”!

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own who are chained within the apostate liberal mainline denominations who are stumbling over issues as basic as homosexuality and crying “Come out of her”!

The Spirit of God is speaking to His own in all places who are strangers to His glorious covenant of grace and crying "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

The Spirit of God is speaking to the fallen world system and the spirit of the age by His Holy Word today just as He spoke to Pharaoh by Moses demanding: Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exodus 8:1)

There have been numerous posts within the Christian blogsphere on the subject of the conflict, contention and division that are inevitably caused by genuine born-again believers in Jesus Christ. The world and the false professing church cry out with one voice for "UNITY! UNITY!! UNITY!!!", but in fact they're shilling spiritual bondage, deception, and unholy compromise - a Counterfeit Christianity.

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

They are undermining the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to attain a false temporal peace.

They have sold their spiritual birthright for a worthless bowl of worldly pottage.

You see, the world knows the difference between a counterfeit and the "real thing", and the same holds true for religion. The world doesn't counterfeit paper bags because they're worthless, of no value. For this selfsame reason the perverse purveyors of counterfeit religion are irresistibly drawn to formulate a corrupt counterfeit gospel and a corrupt counterfeit Messiah in order to diabolically deceive and mercilessly rend Christ's little flock. In the process they are leading countless myriads of souls toward the pit of hell with their damnable doctrines of demons.

The Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword - and much more sure, steady and precise than the finest surgeon's scalpel - calls the Christian faith, true religion. This is an important distinction because by this we know the myriad cults of Christianity and the other faiths so-called that oppose the historical, orthodox, Biblical Christian faith and stand in stark and demonic contrast to the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3) are by definition false religions.

Yet false religions always have a common denominator which the discerning Christian can easily identify. Religion is what man says God says, but the Bible is what God says. Hence at the poisonous root of false religion you will always find sinful man masquerading as god. The discerning Christian ought not be surprised by this basic truth since within God's created order there are really no other options. Either God is God, or man is god and it certainly isn't the latter!

This is easily demonstrated by noting that a Christian is submitted to the authority of his Creator and Judge based on the self-attesting Word of God. For the believing Christian, God Almighty is the highest court of appeals and His Word is the final authority in all matters of day to day living, thinking, ethics, and philosophy. In other words the believing Christian's worldview is, quite simply, that God Almighty is the absolute Ultimate Authority, period. And since His self-attesting Word proclaims itself to be a plenary and infallible, (i.e. all that God has to say to mankind in this age He has perfectly said) and His self-attesting Word proclaims it is "God breathed" (i.e. God-inspired by the Holy Spirit) then the believing Christian takes God at His Word, fully trusting in Him alone and therefore rightly believing that he has been fully equipped by God to process all information in the light of revealed scripture and thus has been given the ability to reason properly - according to Biblical truth. This is not to suggest that believing Christians are infallible logicians or thinkers, but rather to state that Christians are no longer subject to "the old man" - under the total domination of our fallen sin nature - whereas the unbeliever indisputably is.

On the other hand we have the wicked, depraved natural man who has usurped the throne of God in his heart and has elevated his own sinful reasoning as the ultimate authority in his own life and his personal highest court of appeals. This wretched and perverse caricature of God's creation is perhaps the most abominable thing this side of hell. The natural man suppresses the truth of God in unrighteousness, reasoning according to the manner of the world and demanding "proof" of God. He sets his own sinful reasoning upon the throne of The Most High and stubbornly refuses to be submitted to God's authority.

Of course the Ancient of Days will never submit Himself to the inspection of sinful man. The Sovereign Creator and Judge of the universe will not be put on trial in the court of sinful man's depraved reasoning nor will He be subject to man's corrupted judgements. A type of this has already occurred prior to the crucifixion and natural man invariably screamed "give us Barabbas"!

By nature we receive Barabbas.

By nature we are Barabbas.

In the final analysis sinful man must be humbled before God Almighty and be submitted to Him as Lord and Savior in order that he might escape the wrath to come. Oh, that we who are called by His precious name would have the courage and faith to stand in the gap and boldly proclaim the victory of the Cross and the good news of the Kingdom! Oh, that we who are called by His precious name would be always ready with an answer for the hope we have within us! Oh, that we might be found worthy of the High calling of Christ and be found as faithful servants who might hear those sweet, wonderful words "Well done!"

And may we never, ever become complacent in our position in Christ and turn our backs on one single human soul that is on a one way trajectory toward hell. May we never, ever take a cavalier or flippant attitude toward the eternal horrors from which we've been spared. May we never, ever - while breath fills our lungs - stop fighting the good fight under the banner of our King, Jesus Christ.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Truth IS Love

2008-02-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ,if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies.

And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stop, and not madly to destroy themselves.

If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

C.H. Spurgeon

HAT TIP: WayneDawg, curator of Dawg on the Lawn

When You Stop Fighting You're No Longer Needed

2008-02-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.(James 4:6-8)

Where is the church militant? Where are the watchmen upon the gates who will sound the alarm as the heathen rage and the enemy within moves at will among the congregation of the faithful? Where are the kings and priests of the Most High who by the power of God are commanded to tear down every stronghold (2 Cor. 10:4) and earnestly contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints? (Jude 1:3)

A.W.O.L.

M.I.A.

Deserters.

Turncoats.

Traitors.

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

The Christian life is a life of obedience and sacrifice to the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the abandonment the old man and to putting on of the new. (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9) It is to wrestle against the powers and principalities, the spiritual wickedness in high places of this sin sick and dying world (Epehsians 6:12) and to proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16:15). The Christian life is militant as we see from the word of our King in Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Furthermore the Christian life is marked by - through the grace of God alone - an absolute, radical and revolutionary change in worldview. Before salvation all our thoughts were processed through the sinful and corrupted ultimate authority of our own darkened and vain reasoning. After salvation we are delighted to subordinate all wisdom and knowledge to the revealed truth of Scripture, the TRUE, singular, and ultimate authority. Before salvation we were content to drift along through our lives using our natural depraved intellect as the highest court of appeals for all things. After salvation we bow our knees to our Infinite Creator and Judge and declare "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"! (Psalm 111:10)

The true Christian is not contented to stand idly by as his Master is publicly shamed by the perverse imaginations of "fools who have said in their heart there is no God" (Psalm 14:1). Instead he is imbued with power from on high to "take captive every thought unto Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5) and to boldly press the unbeliever who is blithely and blindly secure in his false worldly wisdom - so called - by asking the rhetorical question "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath God not made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Cor. 1:20) The simple truth, of course, is that there is no wise, there is no disputer of this world because there is none who can effectively gainsay the manifold wisdom of God Almighty.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (Matthew 5:13)

Matthew 5:13 is a clear picture of what our Lord Jesus thinks of the lukewarm professing Christian who believes he can have his "get out of hell free" card punched by saying a few words and possibly getting dunked beneath some tepid tap water. Sadly this type of false conversion is all to commonplace in today's meat market church environment wherein "decision cards", baptismal records, church attendance rosters, and dollars in the offering plate are the gold standards by which "ministry effectiveness" is bench marked. Oh how far she's fallen! Oh how foolish is this harlot bride! Forgive us, oh Lord!

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:23)

And again we see from the Matthew 7:23 the sad end state of Tammy Talebearer and Bob Benchwarmer who "having a form of godliness [denied] the power thereof". (2 Timothy 3:5) Do we care enough about these people to tell them the truth? Do we believe that hell is hot, dark, and forever? Can we appreciate what's at stake in this spiritual struggle between eternal life and eternal damnation? Yet may every man be a liar and God be true! (Romans 3:4) For God is faithful and sovereign and His will cannot be thwarted; therefore let us who are called by His name be faithful servants and be obedient to His command to preach the Gospel to every creature under heaven. (Mark 16:15).

Sadly the professing church has gone whoring after strange gods and has left its first love (Revelation 2:4). Nothing is surer than God's judgment against idolatry, and we know from the Holy Writ that judgment begins at the house of God. (1 Peter 4:17). We also know precisely what the Ancient of Days thinks of the vomitous, lukewarm, apostate last days church of Laodicea which obviously abounds before our very eyes today; "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16)

When the body of Christ stops fighting for the truth, when it stops contesting the enemy for the souls of men, when it sacrifices the whole counsel of God for the sake of utilitarian political expediency or a false temporal peace then it has ceased to be of any use whatsoever and has become as "whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27). Like a moth-eaten article of clothing or a shattered vessel it is fit for nothing except destruction.

But with God all things are possible! For within the visible modern day churches of deceit and spiritual adultery is the church invisible which clings to the Lord and holds fast to His teaching! These are they to whom to our Lord would say "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."

Oh Lord, strengthen your remnant! Teach us to walk in your ways! Write your Word upon the tables of our hearts that we might be "always ready with an answer for the hope that lies within us"! (1 Peter 3:15) Amen.

On Temptation

2008-02-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Matthew 4:1)

A holy character does not avert temptation - Jesus was tempted. When Satan tempts us, his sparks fall upon tinder; but in Christ's case, it was like striking sparks on water; yet the enemy continued in his evil work. Now, if the devil goes on striking when there is no result, how much more will he do it when he knows what inflammable stuff our hearts are made of! Though you become greatly sanctified by the Holy Ghost, expect that the great dog of hell will bark at you still. In the haunts of men we expect to be tempted, but even seclusion will not guard us from the same trial. Jesus Christ was led away from human society into the wilderness, and was tempted of the devil. Solitude has its charms and its benefits, and may be useful in checking the lust of the eye and the pride of life; but the devil will follow us into the most lovely retreats. Do not suppose that it is only the worldly-minded who have dreadful thoughts and blasphemous temptations, for even spiritual-minded persons endure the same; and in the holiest position we may suffer the darkest temptation. The utmost consecration of spirit will not insure you against satanic temptation. Christ was consecrated through and through. It was His meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent Him; and yet He was tempted! Your hearts may glow with a seraphic flame of love to Jesus; and yet the devil will try to bring you down to Laodicean lukewarmness. If you will tell me when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armour, I will tell you when Satan has left off temptation. Like the old Knights in war time we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded hour to make us his prey. The Lord keep us watchful in all seasons, and give us a final escape from the jaw of the lion and the paw of the bear.

This devotion was taken from "Morning and Evening" by C.H. Spurgeon.

A Moment of Levity

2008-02-17T20:51:00.001-08:00

Here's a fun quiz to break up the strident tone of my past few posts. Please enjoy - and remember - it's just a silly quiz, so don't take it too seriously or read too much into your results!

What's Your Theological Worldview?

Below is my result, and yes I expect feedback, so do me a favor and copy and paste your results in the comments section!

What's your theological worldview?

You scored as a Fundamentalist
You are a fundamentalist. You take the Bible as the foundation of your faith and read it very literally, and it shapes your worldview. Non-fundamentalist Christians have watered-down the Gospel in your view, and academic study of the Bible stops us from 'taking God at his word.' Science is opposed to faith, as it contradicts basic biblical truths.
Fundamentalist
100%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan
71%
Reformed Evangelical
71%
Neo orthodox
57%
Classical Liberal
29%
Modern Liberal
0%
Charismatic/Pentecostal
0%
Roman Catholic
0%
Emergent/Postmodern
0%

It Stands Alone

2008-02-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

"The idea that the Christian gospel can mix with or blend with any other religious system in any way is absolutely wrong. You cannot mix the gospel with Roman Catholic or orthodox sacramentalism. You cannot mix the gospel with liberalism. You can't mix the gospel with Mormonism, or the religion of the Jehovah's Witness, or Christian Science or any other religion. You cannot mix the gospel even with the religion of Judaism. The gospel is absolutely exclusive. It mingles with no other religion. It accommodates no other religion. In fact, it replaces all other religion. The gospel is absolutely exclusive. Now this needs to be emphatically understood in a time which exalts diversity of belief, tolerance of religion, pluralism, inclusivism and even universalism which essentially says we're all headed the same direction. Now we know there is one God, there is one authoritative book, the Bible. There is one Redeemer of souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one gospel, the gospel of grace and faith. And that singularity of the Christian gospel means that any intrusion that mixes or alters the singularity of the gospel renders it void, nullifies it. It stands alone". —John MacArthur

"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21)

Christians are not called to compromise the Word of God by adulterating it with the hodge podge spirituality and so-called wisdom of this fallen world. In fact to compromise the infallible, immutable, eternal, and plenary counsel of the One True and Living God as contained uniquely within the Holy Bible is the very pinnacle of satanic hubris and wickedness!

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:19)

It's not humble, or noble, or reflective to question God Almighty!

It's downright sinful.

It's wicked.

It's an abomination.

The stern and crystal clear warning above from Revelation 22:19 ought to cause those who would proclaim the Word of God to fall on our faces in holy reverence, awe, and terror before the Infinite Creator and Judge of the universe. Those who preach, teach, and reach with the Eternal Gospel ought to do so with fear and trembling fully realizing that they are directly accountable to King Jesus alone for each and every word they utter. Christians are responsible for properly handling God's truth, defending His Holy Name, and declaring His divine judgment upon this sin sick and dying world.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (James 3:1)

So why is it that so many within today's broader professing church willfully choose to corrupt God's unchanging Word by perverting it into a man-centered, feel-good, message of self-esteem?

Or why is the whole counsel of God defiled by preaching promises of health, wealth, and material prosperity as though God's primary concern is the kind of clothes one wears, the type of car one drives and the number of bedrooms in one's new upscale suburban home?

Again why is the eternal gospel of grace reviled by enshrining the highest post-modern ideal - UNCERTAINTY - above the ancient Biblical truth that not only can God be known, but that He has personally endeavored to clearly reveal Himself to mankind by His Holy Word?

And last - but not least - why are so many self-professed evangelical Christians utterly preoccupied with the soteriology of Gnostic governance and completely given over to busily sacrificing their energy, finances, lives, and even ministries to the service of the Baal of political expediency?

Shouldn't Christians go to God's Word alone to discover His solution to the problems of our day and the solution to the culture? For in God's Word we find that the Eternal Gospel is the solution to the culture! There's nothing new or fancy here! God's plan, His strategy hasn't changed one bit and not one jot or one tittle of His Word needs modification to make it "relevant" or to make it "work" neither yesterday, today, nor tomorrow. This is because it is the ETERNAL GOSPEL! It changes not!!

In point of fact it is ONLY the Eternal Gospel that changes men; GOD FORBID IT SHOULD EVER BE THOUGHT TO BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!

Oh! How far modern Christianity has fallen from the Lord Jesus Christ! Surely men have made gods of themselves and perverted the ETERNAL GOSPEL in favor of a watered down, man-centered, cotton candy, sinless, bloodless, compromised, Nerf theology that's fit for nothing! The modern non-gospel embraced by vast swaths of professing Christianity is no gospel at all!

It's a tool of political expediency!

It's wide tent of paganized spirituality!

It's an idolatrous abomination and offense to the One True and Living God!

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)

Look, the Holy Bible contains God's strategy for changing the culture - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains God's strategy for changing men's hearts - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains God's strategy for making foolish the wisdom of this world - preaching the gospel!

The Holy Bible contains the cure for the culture - preaching the gospel!

So why is it that so many within the broader professing church itself insist on corrupting the simplicity of the gospel by blending it, marginalizing it, ignoring it, assimilating it, being ashamed of it, hiding it, twisting it, perverting it, allegorizing it, spiritualizing it, and thereby outright denying it?

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thess. 2:11-12)

Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1)

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:16)

"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27)

According to the Holy Bible the preaching of the gospel is God's chosen strategy to change men's sinful hearts and the church is not permitted to modify it. Men are not permitted by God to substitute their own strategies in place of His own holy counsel!

But clearly many today have modified it greatly and as previously mentioned many professing Christians seem to believe the solution to the culture is to be found in the realm of politics instead of the Word of God. These poor, misguided souls think it's possible to redeem society through political action and legislation. This is sheer folly and represents the Eternal Gospel being co-opted for political expediency. This is a totally unacceptable compromise on the part of those who would claim Christ.

Human government is NOT your friend.

Human government is NOT the church's friend.

Human government is NOT the friend of God.

HUMAN GOVERNMENT ISN'T THE SOLUTION, IT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM!

The sooner professing Christians as individuals and the broader church in general realize this fact the sooner they can begin extricating themselves from the back of the beast.

Now this is not to say that the Christian political activists are necessarily wrongheaded in their moral affirmations, but they are misguided. In fact all Christians ought to be unified in full agreement with our mutual, corporate loathing of the sinful wickedness of our nation and our world which openly and brazenly manifests its utter depravity by rejecting God's Holy Word in so many unspeakable ways.

The problem with the Christian political activists is that they apparently remain unconvinced that God's chosen strategy of preaching the gospel is a more effective remedy to the culture than a temporal political solution.

Why have so many professing evangelical Christians been duped by this Satanic lie?

Why are so many within the broader professing church seemingly convinced that the solution to America's continued slide into moral decay is a political solution?

Why after more than three decades of concerted political activism has the church still not realized that they're LOSING GROUND in this fight?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Yet in spite of the clear Biblical solution offered by God - which is preaching the gospel - many, many ministries continue to pour their human and financial capital into political lobbying. When did playing politics replace preaching the gospel as the effectual socio-cultural change agent? When was the church co-opted by this superstition?

Politics is built on compromise. ANY politician, political science teacher, and in fact anyone who's involved in politics whatsoever will and must affirm this undeniable fact. And there are certain things that are off limits within the political arena and genteel political discourse - and among those things are the exclusive claims of the Eternal Gospel! One isn't going to be very successful in gaining sufficient political allies by stubbornly holding fast to the annoying habit of preaching Christ crucified and the narrow way. The complete exclusivity of the Christian truth claims makes it stand alone over against and apart from all other competing philosophies, ideologies, and worldviews!

Is the true Body of Christ really so desperate for recognition by and identification with the vain imaginings, deceitful philosophies, and demonic powers of this fallen world that we're willing to sell out Christ Himself in order to gain the praise of men? Are we so ashamed of the foolishness of preaching and the offense of the cross that we're willing to abandon Christ's absolutely authoritative and unique truth claims in order that we might borrow from and adorn ourselves with the worthless, so-called "wisdom" of the secular culture? Why is the broader professing church so willing - nay eager! - to bend the knee to the Baal of cultural relevance and grovel for the attention and affection of those who wield the temporal power of human government? When did the spirit of the age come to possess the professing church at large?

In truth MANY IF NOT MOST of the political "co-belligerents" with whom the broader professing church shamefully plays the harlot do not have any love for or interest in the Eternal Gospel of the new covenant whatsoever. They utterly reject the exclusive claims of Christ. They deny the gospel. They are unregenerate unbelievers who are all too happy to use the money and resources of professing Christians and make merchandise of the church in order to further their own carnal, worldly ambitions.

"...he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)

Listen, when your politics gets in the way of the exclusive truth claims of God Himself you have a problem. When the success or failure of one's political agenda depends on holding together tepid alliances with all sorts of unbelievers then one finds that COMPROMISE on the uniqueness and exclusivity of Christ's truth claims is required. And when a Christian finds himself willing to hide, stifle, or otherwise suppress God's truth in unrighteousness for any reason then he finds that he is at enmity with Almighty Himself for that soul is found guilty of undermining the gospel!

Friends, when a Christian is forced to offer up the Lord Jesus Christ Himself on the altar of political expediency then that is too high a price to pay! In this case for the true born-again Christian THERE ARE SIMPLY NO ENDS THAT CAN JUSTIFY THESE MEANS!!

The Foolishness of the Preaching

2008-02-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." (Luke 23:34)

HAT TIP: Time 2 Change Churches

Examine Yourself

2008-02-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

To my dear friends, readers, and casual visitors I ask you now, in this very moment, as you are sitting there staring at these words on your screen to consider that this might be a time divinely appointed by The One True Living God's hand of providence that should cause you to continue reading this short post in order that you may carefully, prayerfully consider the weight and eternal magnitude of your answers to the questions that follow:

Are you a Christian?

Are you saved?

How do you know that you are a true child of God and that you have not been deceived by the enemy into merely thinking that you are truly born-again?

Did you know the demons in hell believe in God Almighty and TREMBLE? (James 2:19) Is yours a demonic faith?

What kind of a Christian are you?

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23)

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2 Peter 1:10)

I pray that you'll turn on your speakers, listen to this short four-minute audio clip by Pastor Paul Washer, and honestly, prayerfully, and humbly Examine Yourself!

In Defense of Excrement

2008-02-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to begin by pointing out that this post, despite its title, will not attempt to make a case for John Hagee's error filled tome entitled In Defense of Israel. That subject has already been covered here and John Hagee has been exposed for the charlatan and spiritual snake-oil salesman that he is. Now let us turn our attention to another Pastor John. Unlike the deceived John Hagee however, THIS Pastor John is not a ravening wolf in sheep's clothing.

In the short video posted below Pastor John Piper succinctly sums up the "Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Prosperity" false gospel message by calling it exactly what it is: EXCREMENT.

Yet upon further reflection I found myself in a slight - and admittedly petty - disagreement with John Piper on the imagery used in his message. While his analogy is very good and quite appropriate, I don't think he went far enough; and to be quite honest I think he did a disservice to excrement everywhere by comparing it with the Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Prosperity false doctrine.

Hence the title of this post, "In Defense of Excrement".

In point of fact the pernicious lie from the pit of hell known as the Word of Faith movement is actually worse than excrement because - in defense of excrement - at least it doesn't lead men's souls to eternal damnation in hell fire and everlasting punishment unlike the Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, false gospel of temporal "PROSPERITY".

I realize that I'm splitting hairs and may be rightfully accused of nit-picking, but even something as lowly excrement doesn't deserve to be disparaged by equating it with the abomination of the so-called Prosperity Gospel, which in truth is no gospel at all.