Monday, April 1, 2013
Milk and Honey: An Observation of the Prosperity Gospel
I was saved in March 2003 while deployed to Al Udeid AB, Qatar. Immediately following my conversion, I grew an insatiable thirst for biblical knowledge. I remember participating in three different bible study groups, one of which was for married men and I wasn’t even married. Also, I read the Bible cover-to-cover in three months (the New Testament twice). I read every available Christian book and resource I could find in that literal desert. Needless to say, it did not take me long to come into contact with teachings I later discovered to be called the “Prosperity Gospel.”
There are many books available today that specifically, or unintentionally, promote the Prosperity Gospel. If you walk blindfolded into a Christian bookstore and throw a dart at random, the odds are extremely high of hitting a book that supports this teaching. The basic message of the Prosperity Gospel is: If you have faith in God, then God will take care of you by giving immeasurable riches, both material and physical in nature--All blessings are for the Christian here and now. When this teaching is unfolded, it turns the entire underlying message of the Bible into God genuinely wanting to provide for His children, by curing all illnesses and granting material riches in the form of money, houses, cars, and whatever else postulates worldly success. There are many church leaders today who teach this form of Christianity, such as Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, and T.D. Jakes to name a few.
My intention in this post is not to critique the Prosperity Gospel as a movement, but to return our eyes back onto the beauty of the Gospel by showing how all earthly blessings fall short in comparison to all the blessings we receive in Jesus Christ.
“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:13-15).
When Jesus came to initiate the New Covenant, many of the Israelites (Pharisees included) were greedy and covetous towards the wealth of others. In fact, their greed violates the commandment to not covet. How is it that such “holy” men, like the Pharisees, who follow the Law of Moses so strictly, turn out to be greedy and covetous? The Mosaic Covenant is bilateral, meaning there are two parties involved—God and the nation of Israel. The fulfillment of the covenant was contingent upon the obedience of Israel (Lev. 26). If they obeyed, God would grant them a land flowing with milk and honey, and many more blessing on earth. On them would shine the glory of their God before other nations. They would have more prosperity than all other nations--supernatural protection from famine, war, and drought. However, disobedience would incite the opposite. In a religious covenant such as the Mosaic Covenant, it is understandable to see how they could come to view material possessions as a means to an end. What is not immediately perceived, however, is that the Mosaic Covenant was a temporal covenant—it was only supposed to lead Israel to their true Savior, Jesus, not Moses. All things in the Mosaic Covenant were shadows (signs) of the coming Christ. In fact, the Mosaic Covenant (the Law), was never intended to be a permanent Covenant (Gal. 3:23-26).
In the magnificent book, “Sacred Bond”, Michael Brown and Zach Keele claim that in the Mosaic Covenant “The blessings God promises Israel for obedience have ‘other-worldly’ character to them.”_ Furthermore, they emphasize what in fact is “other-worldly” about the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant:
“All these holy and blessed aspects of the Mosaic Covenant point to heaven and our ultimate salvation (Heb. 11:9-10). In the New Jerusalem, God’s people will be glorified to reflect God’s holiness, and no unclean thing will enter that holy place (Rev. 21:27). In glory, there will be no disease, poverty, or adversary, and we will lack no good thing. We will live in God’s intimate presence in righteousness. The land of God’s presence flowing with milk and honey was an earthly picture of the goal of ultimate salvation.”
Natural Religion. At this point, I can attempt to delve into the anthropological arguments about the nature of sin and the idolatry of mammon, or I could excuse materialistic behavior based on psychological arguments, such as Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” arguing that it’s necessary for self-preservation. For the sake of time and space, I want to primarily focus on a root issue of the doctrinal error of the Prosperity Gospel, as well as all individuals who see God as a means to prosperous living.
The natural religion in man is that he/she can do good works to save him or herself from the wrath of an angry God. This belief system infiltrates every religion in the world except orthodox (confessional) Christianity. Christianity is the only religion (I’d argue is the only true religion installed by the One True God), where salvation is given to us instead of us having to earn it. The elements of natural religion (generally speaking) are as followed: 1) God gives laws for man to follow; 2) Man attempts to follow them in order to receive blessings from God. 3) When man violates those laws (which are inevitable), he must satisfy God’s justice through some form of sacrifice, to include animal and human sacrifices, followed by behavioral changes to align with God’s originally intended law. These ideas are communicated differently in the cornucopia of religions today. They will all vary in quality and/or quantity of these three elements, but they are incorporated (some belief systems simply try to do away with the entire concept of sin, or the concept of God—yet they still create certain religious laws to live by proving the natural religion in themselves). Christianity has these elements as well, however, instead of man satisfying the third element, God satisfies it for us by sending His Son as a sacrifice for our sins and also imputes to us His righteousness instead of our own behavioral modification. Unfortunately, many people group Christianity with the other religions without perceiving its glaring difference. This can be attributed to man’s natural religion and desire to complete step three by their own means. It is foolishness to them that God would require a set of laws they could not eventually satisfy. This is why the Apostle Paul stated “For 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 Cor. 1:18).
The Covenant of Moses was laid out in this pattern of natural religion. As previously stated, this covenant was not permanent—there was a shelf-life attached, by which Christ fulfilled and replaced with the New Covenant. As Israel failed in element two, they would not receive God’s blessings, but His curses—natural progression would lead them to element three, of which they still could not satisfy, thus bringing them back to element two, and rinse, wash, repeat. The Covenant of Moses, much like all natural religion, should not lead us to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” to please God, but it’s original intent was to bring us to God’s mercy seat to seek forgiveness and righteousness not found in ourselves. Israel, under the Mosaic Covenant, never permanently dwelt in the land flowing with milk and honey, because the blessing was only as permanent as Israel’s righteousness. Therefore, our true “milk and honey” land is not here on earth, but in eternity with Him (Hebrews 11:16).
Believers of the Prosperity Gospel, whether they admit it or not, consistently desire the earthly temporal blessings more than the heavenly; they desire the temporal blessings of a covenant put in place by God to point us to heavenly realities and a wonderful Savior. By craving the material blessings of Moses, they prove their lack of faith in Christ and all His accomplishments. In other words, they esteem Moses over Christ, in that the benefits of Christ is not enough for them (heavenly realities of salvation), they need Jesus to satisfy all the Law’s requirements so they may receive their true desire—enjoyment of earthly pleasures and riches. In contrast to the greed of the Pharisees, who strived to gain these “blessings” by satisfying the Law on their own abilities, Prosperity Gospel followers use Christ to get them. The author of Hebrews warned Israelites, who became Christians, to not return to the Mosaic Covenant since Christ was the fulfillment: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gifts, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” (Hebrews 6:4-6).
My heart breaks for those who fall into this gross corruption of the gospel of Christ, and my anger burns towards those who promote it. The true gospel is cool water for those who cannot satisfy the Law of God, but desperately seek His mercy. For them, God has offered an escape from His wrath, and He has prepared for them a land flowing with milk and honey, for all eternity.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21).
Thursday, March 28, 2013
He Who Is Forgiven Little, Loves Little
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50 ESV)
I love this text! It is a quick picture of the gospel in contrast to self-righteousness. The Pharisee looks down on the woman as a sinner. He views himself as not someone who is equally sinful. We often times do the same thing when we look at a drug dealer or prostitute or even people inside our own churches, and think that we have better morals than they. We place them and ourselves on a ladder of morality to see who is higher, and we always come out on top. Then we may look at older Christians or missionaries and see them as higher than us on that same ladder, causing us to feel that we need to emulate their example. In the midst of all this is our forgetfulness of Jesus. He is the only rule by which our actions are to be gauged. He is the Word of God in living flesh. When we analyze our moral behaviors, we should compare ourselves with Christ in order to see how holy we truly are. If we are found wanting, then we can begin to understand our true moral state. If we see anything good in ourselves, then our love for Christ and His gospel begins to fade away. However, when we perceive ourselves accurately, realizing the never ending depth of our sinful nature, then we are inclined to love Him as we ought. The woman cried and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair because her sins were great. She knew what she was in the presence of Him, but the Pharisee felt he was better than the woman and closer to Jesus on the morality ladder. In fact, if the Pharisee understood the sinfulness of his own heart, he too would have been alongside the woman, washing Jesus’ feet with his tears. If ever there is a time in your day where you don’t see your need to cry at Jesus’ feet for your consistent sinfulness, then you have lost sight of your sinful nature and have put too much faith in your own goodness, even if you call that goodness “sanctification.” We need to always “cry at His feet”-- not because we receive mercy through our tears, but because your sins are truly forgiven in Him, and our joy and shame oftentimes manifest through our emotions. Only when we understand how much we are forgiven can our love for the Savior increase.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Jesus is THE LORD
This post was originally written in 2009.
Jesus is THE LORD, Not A Lord
Deuteronomy 5:6-10 – “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
John 14:6-7 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’”
Acts 4:12 – “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Lk 9:26 – “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
I don’t want to make this a long drawn out study, but just give everyone a call to remember the importance of holding firm to the Lordship of Jesus. We are in a day and age of political correctness. We are taught to accept everyone’s beliefs and to not hold so dogmatically to our own. Amongst Christians we may argue about doctrines and certain other miniscule things, but we must all hold to this truth: Jesus is THE LORD, not A lord.
The time is coming, and is already here, when we will be called “narrow-minded, hard-headed and simple” because of this TRUTH. We may all be upset with ourselves over our lack of witnessing or our inability to proclaim the gospel more, but soon you will be confronted with the most important witness opportunity of your life—to confess that Jesus is LORD and not make provision for any other “way.” Here is the question that will be asked of you: “Do you really believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father? What about the people who don’t agree with you?” If you answer them and say, “well, I personally believe in Jesus as my Savior, and it’s not for me to judge other people… that’s between them and God.” If that is your response, then you have proven that you are ashamed of Jesus Christ. The correct answer will make you persecuted. This is the correct answer: “Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. All other beliefs and religions will bring upon them the wrath of God, because they have denied His Son. Jesus is the way that God provides salvation for us. To deny Jesus is to say that you don’t appreciate God’s provision.” That is a proper response to that question! Will that make them hate you? Definitely!
My fellow Christians, Jesus it THE way, THE truth, and THE life! If you replace the word “the” for the word “a” then you have eased the conscience of the condemned sinner, and have become ashamed of Jesus Christ. There is only ONE WAY, and you will be hated for it. But stay firm and know that to suffer for His sake will one day turn to joy!
1 Peter 4:13-14 – “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Jesus is THE LORD, Not A Lord
Deuteronomy 5:6-10 – “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
John 14:6-7 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’”
Acts 4:12 – “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Lk 9:26 – “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
I don’t want to make this a long drawn out study, but just give everyone a call to remember the importance of holding firm to the Lordship of Jesus. We are in a day and age of political correctness. We are taught to accept everyone’s beliefs and to not hold so dogmatically to our own. Amongst Christians we may argue about doctrines and certain other miniscule things, but we must all hold to this truth: Jesus is THE LORD, not A lord.
The time is coming, and is already here, when we will be called “narrow-minded, hard-headed and simple” because of this TRUTH. We may all be upset with ourselves over our lack of witnessing or our inability to proclaim the gospel more, but soon you will be confronted with the most important witness opportunity of your life—to confess that Jesus is LORD and not make provision for any other “way.” Here is the question that will be asked of you: “Do you really believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father? What about the people who don’t agree with you?” If you answer them and say, “well, I personally believe in Jesus as my Savior, and it’s not for me to judge other people… that’s between them and God.” If that is your response, then you have proven that you are ashamed of Jesus Christ. The correct answer will make you persecuted. This is the correct answer: “Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. All other beliefs and religions will bring upon them the wrath of God, because they have denied His Son. Jesus is the way that God provides salvation for us. To deny Jesus is to say that you don’t appreciate God’s provision.” That is a proper response to that question! Will that make them hate you? Definitely!
My fellow Christians, Jesus it THE way, THE truth, and THE life! If you replace the word “the” for the word “a” then you have eased the conscience of the condemned sinner, and have become ashamed of Jesus Christ. There is only ONE WAY, and you will be hated for it. But stay firm and know that to suffer for His sake will one day turn to joy!
1 Peter 4:13-14 – “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Passive Deliverance of The Law of God
This post was originally written in May 2011.
I wanted to post a note about something so subtle, you hardly notice it when you hear it unless your ears are keen to it. I’m talking about the Law. God’s Word commands us to be holy, yet always for His glory, He provides us holiness through the finished work of Christ imputed to us. However, it doesn’t stop our sinful flesh to bend towards the law’s enchanting call. Our depraved nature tries to satisfy God’s requirements through our own strength, in our own ways, and to our own glory. Pride hides deep in our heart and longs to come to the voice of the law instead of the humble seat of grace. Instead of boasting in the work of the Lord on our behalf, we worship at the feet of our own accomplishments. Ephesians 2:8-9 flies in the face of this sinful pride. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I am writing this to reveal and critique a specific style of preaching of which I would call “passive lawgiving.” Of course, if there is a passive form of lawgiving, then there must also be an active form as well. The active form is easy to spot and clear to your conscience when you hear it. The active lawgiving is done through hearing your failures to keep God’s commands. You hear and acknowledge all the commands of God that you have broken by what you have done and what you have failed to do. It pierces your soul like a sharp double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12) and it makes a regenerate heart cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” God’s children hear His voice, as He leads them to the water that will satisfy eternally (John 4:14). The law without grace places us under the curse (Gal. 3:10), under a burden that only Christ can take away (Matt. 11:28). The active law rightfully calls you to examine your heart to see that you stand condemned before a holy and righteous Judge! Without the law, a man loses sight of Christ’s ministry altogether. The cross becomes empty of its meaning when a man doesn’t recognize the breaking of God’s law and the penalty which is required to satisfy it. The active form of delivering the law is not as sly as the passive form.
Just as the active law puts us squarely under the curse of God, the passive law does likewise through a more secretive way. Not that the deliverer of the passive law is trying to secretly bring you under the curse (that’s Satan’s use), it’s that they do not realize they are doing it. These pastors, or even Christians, preach a passive law and put a burden that even the patriarchs couldn’t bear (Acts 15:10).
How do these passive laws get passed on to us? How is the curse put on us again? By the preacher preaching himself instead of Christ; and lifting his own Christian walk over Christ’s work for us. The message usually goes something like this: The pastor, preaching with all his emotions, displays to you his transparency and struggles. He shows you how God is currently working in his heart and how he isn’t perfect but he has come a long way. He explains how he is changing his habits and forming new ways to “show Christ’s love” to everyone around, but after speaking about his transformed life for 20 minutes, the work of Christ is never preached! At the end of the sermon all you know is that your preacher is a common man who struggles but is a marvelous example of a Christian. You have just been duped into the passive law with all its curses, and you didn’t even realize it! You have been manipulated into looking at your own life, your own works, your own lack of living righteously and serving others. You have taken your eyes off of Christ as our Priest, Prophet, and King, and placed them on yourself and all your filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). You have placed your eyes on the glory of your pastor and his amazingly in-tune walk with God (which is not Christ-centered either), and boast in his works and in his “amazing faith.” You emulate your pastor instead of seeing him as a sinner in need of grace also. I plead with you, whoever you are, run from the “clouds without rain” (Jude 1:12) who proclaim a radical faith without its substance (Christ’s finished work). These men would not sit still to have Christ wash their feet and disregard Christ’s plea—“if I do not wash your feet, then you have no share with me” (John 13:8). Hear the gospel call and remember all of our works come from a justified position before God. The service we do for Christ comes after we hear the gospel and not before. Next time you hear sappy music and a pastor being transparent about how much he is doing for God, remember to listen more vigilantly for when the forgiveness of sins through Christ is preached, because if it is not proclaimed then you have been subtly placed back into the law’s curse; passively.
I wanted to post a note about something so subtle, you hardly notice it when you hear it unless your ears are keen to it. I’m talking about the Law. God’s Word commands us to be holy, yet always for His glory, He provides us holiness through the finished work of Christ imputed to us. However, it doesn’t stop our sinful flesh to bend towards the law’s enchanting call. Our depraved nature tries to satisfy God’s requirements through our own strength, in our own ways, and to our own glory. Pride hides deep in our heart and longs to come to the voice of the law instead of the humble seat of grace. Instead of boasting in the work of the Lord on our behalf, we worship at the feet of our own accomplishments. Ephesians 2:8-9 flies in the face of this sinful pride. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I am writing this to reveal and critique a specific style of preaching of which I would call “passive lawgiving.” Of course, if there is a passive form of lawgiving, then there must also be an active form as well. The active form is easy to spot and clear to your conscience when you hear it. The active lawgiving is done through hearing your failures to keep God’s commands. You hear and acknowledge all the commands of God that you have broken by what you have done and what you have failed to do. It pierces your soul like a sharp double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12) and it makes a regenerate heart cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” God’s children hear His voice, as He leads them to the water that will satisfy eternally (John 4:14). The law without grace places us under the curse (Gal. 3:10), under a burden that only Christ can take away (Matt. 11:28). The active law rightfully calls you to examine your heart to see that you stand condemned before a holy and righteous Judge! Without the law, a man loses sight of Christ’s ministry altogether. The cross becomes empty of its meaning when a man doesn’t recognize the breaking of God’s law and the penalty which is required to satisfy it. The active form of delivering the law is not as sly as the passive form.
Just as the active law puts us squarely under the curse of God, the passive law does likewise through a more secretive way. Not that the deliverer of the passive law is trying to secretly bring you under the curse (that’s Satan’s use), it’s that they do not realize they are doing it. These pastors, or even Christians, preach a passive law and put a burden that even the patriarchs couldn’t bear (Acts 15:10).
How do these passive laws get passed on to us? How is the curse put on us again? By the preacher preaching himself instead of Christ; and lifting his own Christian walk over Christ’s work for us. The message usually goes something like this: The pastor, preaching with all his emotions, displays to you his transparency and struggles. He shows you how God is currently working in his heart and how he isn’t perfect but he has come a long way. He explains how he is changing his habits and forming new ways to “show Christ’s love” to everyone around, but after speaking about his transformed life for 20 minutes, the work of Christ is never preached! At the end of the sermon all you know is that your preacher is a common man who struggles but is a marvelous example of a Christian. You have just been duped into the passive law with all its curses, and you didn’t even realize it! You have been manipulated into looking at your own life, your own works, your own lack of living righteously and serving others. You have taken your eyes off of Christ as our Priest, Prophet, and King, and placed them on yourself and all your filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). You have placed your eyes on the glory of your pastor and his amazingly in-tune walk with God (which is not Christ-centered either), and boast in his works and in his “amazing faith.” You emulate your pastor instead of seeing him as a sinner in need of grace also. I plead with you, whoever you are, run from the “clouds without rain” (Jude 1:12) who proclaim a radical faith without its substance (Christ’s finished work). These men would not sit still to have Christ wash their feet and disregard Christ’s plea—“if I do not wash your feet, then you have no share with me” (John 13:8). Hear the gospel call and remember all of our works come from a justified position before God. The service we do for Christ comes after we hear the gospel and not before. Next time you hear sappy music and a pastor being transparent about how much he is doing for God, remember to listen more vigilantly for when the forgiveness of sins through Christ is preached, because if it is not proclaimed then you have been subtly placed back into the law’s curse; passively.
What is the Purpose of God's Law?
This post was originally written in August 2010.
“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” ~Romans 7:7-12.
What a marvelous thing it is to grasp an understanding of the Law of God. In many places, the Law of God is rejoiced over, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). But how can something that Paul claims brings forth death, be the very thing that the Psalmist praises? Because it is holy! It is from God Himself to us. And though sin living in us, attaches to the Law to bring death in us (because disobedience to the law justifies our death), we see the Law is there to lead us to a greater beauty: Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who alone is our salvation.
In the Old Testament, Israel was chosen by God to be His people. And this meant their entire lives revolved around a theocratic society which was installed, maintained, and empowered by God through judges, prophets, priests, and kings. There were 3 particular laws of God Israel had to obey: 1)Moral Law, 2) Social Law, which encompasses judicial, economic, and political laws 3) and Ceremonial Law, which dealt specifically with the worship in the temple and clean and unclean observances. The latter two deals specifically with Israel and these specific requirements are not commanded to present-day Gentile believers. However, the one law that is to be obeyed forever and by all people is the law Paul speaks about, which is the moral Law of God.
According to Paul’s explanation, “apart from the law, sin lies dead.” So, when the law is brought forth, sin rises to the top. Now we must remember an important fact: The Law itself is not sinful because it is from God, and anything that proceeds from God is holy because He is holy. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not an instruction manual or a book of wise living tips. It is not written to show us popular leadership characteristics, good business management advice, or how to live our best life now. Though we can see role models throughout the Bible who give us an accurate view of living by faith, the scriptures should not be read with a “What’s in it for me” mindset. In other words, don’t approach the Bible to see what you can get out of it for yourself; approach it to know God and to understand His Holiness. God has given us His Law for a divine purpose, and part of that purpose brings death in us. We will examine deeper into how something holy produces death in us instead of holiness.
Paul said “if it had not been for the law, I would have not known sin.” This verse clearly explains that God’s Law gives us a particular knowledge. A knowledge that cannot be gained through any other writings, but Holy Scripture. The knowledge that we get from God’s Law is the knowledge of our own sin. The depth of the knowledge of our sin, relies on hearing that Law. The Law of God does not necessarily come out and say, “you’re a sinner.” The Law clearly lays out God’s “do’s and don’t’s” for life and it condemns to death anyone who doesn’t keep it perfectly. And upon reading God’s Law, all human beings should immediately be aware that they stand guilty before a Holy God. It is no different than a criminal hearing the judge read his verdict and sending him to prison. That criminal knows he is found out, and there is no escaping the surety of his imprisonment. God’s Law similarly reveals the criminal intent of your heart towards your Creator. The origin of our sinful nature can be clearly seen in scripture. Through Adam, all have sinned (Romans 5:12), and therefore from the moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb we were destined for hell. This reality stems from the sin which lives in us and is our nature. We are not destined to hell because we disobey God’s Law; we are destined to hell because we were born! (Ps. 51:5). And when the Law of God comes, it does not bring life to us, it brings the surety of our death. Galatians 5:10 says, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.” The moment you hear God’s Law, the sin that lay dormant in you for so long has now had a great light shine upon it. There is no hiding it, you are a temple of sin and death. Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matt 22:37-38). If you have not loved God to this caliber, at every single moment of your existence in this life, then you are under the curse of God’s Law because you do not abide completely in the first commandment. Through this commandment, you should now be aware that you are an idolater.
Yet, it is not the commandment that is sinful, but the commandment is holy. It is we who are sinful. When we approach the Law of God we are to approach it as a blinding light of glory, ready to be exposed for what truly lives inside of us. Jesus Christ said, “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matt 15:18-19). Your words on a daily basis reflect what is in your heart, the real heart. And even if you never spoke a word, the sin is still like a rotting corpse on the inside of you. And knowing the Law of God will reveal these defilements. If you say that you are without sin, you deceive yourself and the truth is not in you (1 John 1:8). The Law of God rips us completely open to the truth of what is inside of our hearts, and no one who says “sin does not live in my heart” tells the truth. And you cannot rely on your good obedience to outweigh your sin before the throne of God, because as we have already seen “cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.”
Therefore, the Law has served its purpose. It has condemned you and not given you eternal life before God. No one can come to God’s throne and say, “I have done marvelous deeds for you. May I enter into heaven?” The answer will be “No.” Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23). No one can come before the throne of God with their good works and expect redemption through them. The curse of death is already upon you because the Law of God has been spoken to you. That holy and fearful sight of God’s Law which the Israelites didn’t bare to look towards themselves, but sent Moses to go for them, is that same Law that should strike fear in your own heart. “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood afar off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:18-19). And so Moses spoke to the people as a prophet of God. But the very words Moses delivered them, they could not bear it still. For the Law of Moses was not a law unto the saving of their souls, but the very same Law which we are speaking about now and brings forth death in all of us. This Law is a curse if not kept completely, and you can be assured that no amount of good works or even following of the Law will save you from your sins, because the Law does not have the power to kill the sinful indulgences of your flesh.
The Law always places you squarely at the feet of God’s wrath, showing that you are His enemy and not His friend (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:1-3). What can you do to appease His wrath against you? What can you do to turn His eternal punishment away from you and have peace? In order to be reconciled to God, two things must happen; 1) Your past, present, and future sins must be atoned for. The penalty of sin is death, therefore, the penalty must be paid in full. 2) You must present yourself as a righteous person before God. Even after your sins are atoned for, you must still live righteously before God. We will discuss a little later, the grace of God in fulfilling these two requirements. But first, let the Word of God lead us to understand God’s Law and what it fully is supposed to be for us.
Romans 3:19-20 says, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” So, therefore, anyone who tries to please God with their own hands, even if you are out feeding orphans and helping widows, you will not be justified by God in your actions. Your hands are still unclean. The Law of God is here to “stop our mouths” and hold us accountable to God. It is to give us the knowledge of our sin. And ultimately it is to show us our absolute desperate need for a Savior. And the final and most holy aspect of the Law of God, is to reveal to us our One and Only hope, Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:23-26 says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” The Law is our “guardian,” who holds us fast until we come to FAITH in CHRIST! Who is this Christ? What has He truly done for us in that He alone is able to release us from the curse of the Law? Simply put, He satisfied both of the requirements of God in His life, death, burial, and resurrection from the dead.
In His life, He has lived perfectly and righteously to the will of God. Jesus said, “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29). Where we fall short of pleasing God, Jesus has come and pleased the Father in all things and at all times. In His death, He has satisfied God’s wrath for our punishment. He has taken the entire cup of God’s wrath and drank it completely. And our sins are atoned for because He died in our place. Isaiah 53:5-6 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And Jesus prayed “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). The contents of that cup are God’s wrath upon all mankind, and Jesus drank it obediently so that we would not have to drink. The drink that Jesus gives us to drink is the cup of His blood in the Lord’s Supper. “Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). In His burial, we find the purpose of baptism that we are with Him in burial to our old self. Romans 6:3 asks, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Through the work of baptism we die to our old self and are made one with Christ. Without this baptism into the covenant of grace, then our flesh and sin still live and the cross of Christ would be meaningless to us. In His resurrection, we are born again unto the newness of life, and this is a new creation done in us by the work of God! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). And also Romans 6:4 says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” And now through His life, we also live.
The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ reconciles us to God through what is called “imputation.” God imputed our penalty of sin upon Christ, and Christ’s righteousness was imputed unto us; Christ takes our sin, and we take His righteousness. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by the one man’s disobedience [Adam] the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience [Christ] the many will be made righteous.” So, this righteousness is not a righteousness that we ever do, but a righteousness that is given to us by God through Jesus Christ.” And these last verses sum up the entire completion of the Law of God: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14), and “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Finally, the curse of God’s Law upon us is nailed to the cross, and hangs on a tree. God put Jesus, His only Son, on the cross that the curse would no longer fall upon us. And we are dead to our sin and alive unto God, through Christ alone. May nothing be added to it or taken from it! Now that we live in Christ, we are free to serve Him, giving all affection to Him and giving no provision to live according to our flesh. Therefore, with all the wonderful glory of Christ and His salvation for us, REPENT and turn away from your sins, and look to Him alone for your reconciliation to God. It is by faith in Christ that you can be saved, because “blessed are those who believe without seeing” (John 20:29). Repent and walk no longer in the sin that you once loved and that the Law reveals in you, and turn to the grace of God in Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit regenerate your soul and give you a new life in Christ. Amen.
“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” ~Romans 7:7-12.
What a marvelous thing it is to grasp an understanding of the Law of God. In many places, the Law of God is rejoiced over, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). But how can something that Paul claims brings forth death, be the very thing that the Psalmist praises? Because it is holy! It is from God Himself to us. And though sin living in us, attaches to the Law to bring death in us (because disobedience to the law justifies our death), we see the Law is there to lead us to a greater beauty: Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who alone is our salvation.
In the Old Testament, Israel was chosen by God to be His people. And this meant their entire lives revolved around a theocratic society which was installed, maintained, and empowered by God through judges, prophets, priests, and kings. There were 3 particular laws of God Israel had to obey: 1)Moral Law, 2) Social Law, which encompasses judicial, economic, and political laws 3) and Ceremonial Law, which dealt specifically with the worship in the temple and clean and unclean observances. The latter two deals specifically with Israel and these specific requirements are not commanded to present-day Gentile believers. However, the one law that is to be obeyed forever and by all people is the law Paul speaks about, which is the moral Law of God.
According to Paul’s explanation, “apart from the law, sin lies dead.” So, when the law is brought forth, sin rises to the top. Now we must remember an important fact: The Law itself is not sinful because it is from God, and anything that proceeds from God is holy because He is holy. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not an instruction manual or a book of wise living tips. It is not written to show us popular leadership characteristics, good business management advice, or how to live our best life now. Though we can see role models throughout the Bible who give us an accurate view of living by faith, the scriptures should not be read with a “What’s in it for me” mindset. In other words, don’t approach the Bible to see what you can get out of it for yourself; approach it to know God and to understand His Holiness. God has given us His Law for a divine purpose, and part of that purpose brings death in us. We will examine deeper into how something holy produces death in us instead of holiness.
Paul said “if it had not been for the law, I would have not known sin.” This verse clearly explains that God’s Law gives us a particular knowledge. A knowledge that cannot be gained through any other writings, but Holy Scripture. The knowledge that we get from God’s Law is the knowledge of our own sin. The depth of the knowledge of our sin, relies on hearing that Law. The Law of God does not necessarily come out and say, “you’re a sinner.” The Law clearly lays out God’s “do’s and don’t’s” for life and it condemns to death anyone who doesn’t keep it perfectly. And upon reading God’s Law, all human beings should immediately be aware that they stand guilty before a Holy God. It is no different than a criminal hearing the judge read his verdict and sending him to prison. That criminal knows he is found out, and there is no escaping the surety of his imprisonment. God’s Law similarly reveals the criminal intent of your heart towards your Creator. The origin of our sinful nature can be clearly seen in scripture. Through Adam, all have sinned (Romans 5:12), and therefore from the moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb we were destined for hell. This reality stems from the sin which lives in us and is our nature. We are not destined to hell because we disobey God’s Law; we are destined to hell because we were born! (Ps. 51:5). And when the Law of God comes, it does not bring life to us, it brings the surety of our death. Galatians 5:10 says, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.” The moment you hear God’s Law, the sin that lay dormant in you for so long has now had a great light shine upon it. There is no hiding it, you are a temple of sin and death. Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matt 22:37-38). If you have not loved God to this caliber, at every single moment of your existence in this life, then you are under the curse of God’s Law because you do not abide completely in the first commandment. Through this commandment, you should now be aware that you are an idolater.
Yet, it is not the commandment that is sinful, but the commandment is holy. It is we who are sinful. When we approach the Law of God we are to approach it as a blinding light of glory, ready to be exposed for what truly lives inside of us. Jesus Christ said, “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matt 15:18-19). Your words on a daily basis reflect what is in your heart, the real heart. And even if you never spoke a word, the sin is still like a rotting corpse on the inside of you. And knowing the Law of God will reveal these defilements. If you say that you are without sin, you deceive yourself and the truth is not in you (1 John 1:8). The Law of God rips us completely open to the truth of what is inside of our hearts, and no one who says “sin does not live in my heart” tells the truth. And you cannot rely on your good obedience to outweigh your sin before the throne of God, because as we have already seen “cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.”
Therefore, the Law has served its purpose. It has condemned you and not given you eternal life before God. No one can come to God’s throne and say, “I have done marvelous deeds for you. May I enter into heaven?” The answer will be “No.” Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23). No one can come before the throne of God with their good works and expect redemption through them. The curse of death is already upon you because the Law of God has been spoken to you. That holy and fearful sight of God’s Law which the Israelites didn’t bare to look towards themselves, but sent Moses to go for them, is that same Law that should strike fear in your own heart. “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood afar off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:18-19). And so Moses spoke to the people as a prophet of God. But the very words Moses delivered them, they could not bear it still. For the Law of Moses was not a law unto the saving of their souls, but the very same Law which we are speaking about now and brings forth death in all of us. This Law is a curse if not kept completely, and you can be assured that no amount of good works or even following of the Law will save you from your sins, because the Law does not have the power to kill the sinful indulgences of your flesh.
The Law always places you squarely at the feet of God’s wrath, showing that you are His enemy and not His friend (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:1-3). What can you do to appease His wrath against you? What can you do to turn His eternal punishment away from you and have peace? In order to be reconciled to God, two things must happen; 1) Your past, present, and future sins must be atoned for. The penalty of sin is death, therefore, the penalty must be paid in full. 2) You must present yourself as a righteous person before God. Even after your sins are atoned for, you must still live righteously before God. We will discuss a little later, the grace of God in fulfilling these two requirements. But first, let the Word of God lead us to understand God’s Law and what it fully is supposed to be for us.
Romans 3:19-20 says, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” So, therefore, anyone who tries to please God with their own hands, even if you are out feeding orphans and helping widows, you will not be justified by God in your actions. Your hands are still unclean. The Law of God is here to “stop our mouths” and hold us accountable to God. It is to give us the knowledge of our sin. And ultimately it is to show us our absolute desperate need for a Savior. And the final and most holy aspect of the Law of God, is to reveal to us our One and Only hope, Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:23-26 says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” The Law is our “guardian,” who holds us fast until we come to FAITH in CHRIST! Who is this Christ? What has He truly done for us in that He alone is able to release us from the curse of the Law? Simply put, He satisfied both of the requirements of God in His life, death, burial, and resurrection from the dead.
In His life, He has lived perfectly and righteously to the will of God. Jesus said, “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29). Where we fall short of pleasing God, Jesus has come and pleased the Father in all things and at all times. In His death, He has satisfied God’s wrath for our punishment. He has taken the entire cup of God’s wrath and drank it completely. And our sins are atoned for because He died in our place. Isaiah 53:5-6 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And Jesus prayed “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). The contents of that cup are God’s wrath upon all mankind, and Jesus drank it obediently so that we would not have to drink. The drink that Jesus gives us to drink is the cup of His blood in the Lord’s Supper. “Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). In His burial, we find the purpose of baptism that we are with Him in burial to our old self. Romans 6:3 asks, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Through the work of baptism we die to our old self and are made one with Christ. Without this baptism into the covenant of grace, then our flesh and sin still live and the cross of Christ would be meaningless to us. In His resurrection, we are born again unto the newness of life, and this is a new creation done in us by the work of God! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). And also Romans 6:4 says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” And now through His life, we also live.
The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ reconciles us to God through what is called “imputation.” God imputed our penalty of sin upon Christ, and Christ’s righteousness was imputed unto us; Christ takes our sin, and we take His righteousness. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by the one man’s disobedience [Adam] the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience [Christ] the many will be made righteous.” So, this righteousness is not a righteousness that we ever do, but a righteousness that is given to us by God through Jesus Christ.” And these last verses sum up the entire completion of the Law of God: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14), and “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Finally, the curse of God’s Law upon us is nailed to the cross, and hangs on a tree. God put Jesus, His only Son, on the cross that the curse would no longer fall upon us. And we are dead to our sin and alive unto God, through Christ alone. May nothing be added to it or taken from it! Now that we live in Christ, we are free to serve Him, giving all affection to Him and giving no provision to live according to our flesh. Therefore, with all the wonderful glory of Christ and His salvation for us, REPENT and turn away from your sins, and look to Him alone for your reconciliation to God. It is by faith in Christ that you can be saved, because “blessed are those who believe without seeing” (John 20:29). Repent and walk no longer in the sin that you once loved and that the Law reveals in you, and turn to the grace of God in Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit regenerate your soul and give you a new life in Christ. Amen.
Bible Contradiction or Beautiful Work of God
This post was originally written in March 2010.
Luke 23:39-43: One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Matthew 27:37-44: And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Now here is the dilemma: Either there is a contradiction here or there isn’t. Did both insult him? Yes. Then why does Luke not say this, but instead talks about only one insulting and the other being saved?
Herein lays the beautiful work of God in regeneration! Jesus’ crucifixion lasted up to 6 hours. During those six hours something incredible happened. As both of the robbers to the left and right of Jesus mocked Him, eventually one of those robbers began to have the Holy Spirit move upon his heart. And the longer he was on the cross himself, the more God began to show him who Jesus Christ was. Why wasn’t the other robber following suit? Because God purposefully called the one robber to repentance, and the other He did not.
Let’s take this all in and meditate upon it. As the one robber was insulting Jesus, he eventually began to see his sin and realized his just punishment for the crimes he committed. Before God began convicting his heart, he was joining the mockers who were delighting in Jesus’ crucifixion. But the amazing part that we must consider is how did he go from mocking to repentance in the span of a few hours? It has to be a work of God alone. This man at this moment was equal with Jesus. How could the robber view Jesus as a King when He was being hung right next to him? God brought conviction on this man, and then repentance and belief. This robber went from mocking Jesus, to boldly rebuking the other robber saying, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41). This was his repentance of his own sin--his conviction of his own crimes and the necessary punishment for his actions. This is a work of the Holy Spirit’s conviction in the life of a true believer. Then we see him say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). This is his belief. He sees Jesus as the King. It is an absolute miracle that this man can believe Jesus to be the actual Messiahwho everyone is mocking him to be (including himself prior to the Holy Spirit’s conviction).
Ponder this today: If you are a believe… If you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ for salvation… If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God… Why do you believe that? How are you able to believe that? Why aren’t you like those who mock Him? What makes you different?
Luke 23:39-43: One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Matthew 27:37-44: And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Now here is the dilemma: Either there is a contradiction here or there isn’t. Did both insult him? Yes. Then why does Luke not say this, but instead talks about only one insulting and the other being saved?
Herein lays the beautiful work of God in regeneration! Jesus’ crucifixion lasted up to 6 hours. During those six hours something incredible happened. As both of the robbers to the left and right of Jesus mocked Him, eventually one of those robbers began to have the Holy Spirit move upon his heart. And the longer he was on the cross himself, the more God began to show him who Jesus Christ was. Why wasn’t the other robber following suit? Because God purposefully called the one robber to repentance, and the other He did not.
Let’s take this all in and meditate upon it. As the one robber was insulting Jesus, he eventually began to see his sin and realized his just punishment for the crimes he committed. Before God began convicting his heart, he was joining the mockers who were delighting in Jesus’ crucifixion. But the amazing part that we must consider is how did he go from mocking to repentance in the span of a few hours? It has to be a work of God alone. This man at this moment was equal with Jesus. How could the robber view Jesus as a King when He was being hung right next to him? God brought conviction on this man, and then repentance and belief. This robber went from mocking Jesus, to boldly rebuking the other robber saying, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41). This was his repentance of his own sin--his conviction of his own crimes and the necessary punishment for his actions. This is a work of the Holy Spirit’s conviction in the life of a true believer. Then we see him say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42). This is his belief. He sees Jesus as the King. It is an absolute miracle that this man can believe Jesus to be the actual Messiahwho everyone is mocking him to be (including himself prior to the Holy Spirit’s conviction).
Ponder this today: If you are a believe… If you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ for salvation… If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God… Why do you believe that? How are you able to believe that? Why aren’t you like those who mock Him? What makes you different?
The Total Depravity of Man and the Sovereignty of God
This post was originally written in March 2010
The Total Depravity of Men and the Sovereignty of God
These teachings are seriously lacking in the church today. There is no other teaching that puts God on His throne like this one does! God is Almighty, and you are not, oh man!
Genesis 2:16-17, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” What is this spiritual death? Let’s look at it for a moment. Adam and Eve were formed perfect. They had free-will to do whatever: Please God or rebel against God. They chose to rebel and it brought death to them, and to all their descendents after them. Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” You may have never heard this before, but spiritual death means that a person is in bondage to sin and CANNOT DO GOOD, CANNOT CHOOSE GOOD, AND CANNOT CHOOSE GOD. Romans 3:10-11: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” So, here is the doctrine of total depravity: Man cannot be saved unless God sovereignly elects that man to be saved. Here is a question….. Why did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, and also the little girl? WHY WOULD HE DO THAT? Jesus healed people so that it would be a shadow of what eternal healing provides. And Jesus raised the dead to be a shadow of “the new birth.” Let’s look at the story of Lazarus. Read John 11:38-44. Now let me ask you this question…. Could Lazarus raise himself from the dead? What did Jesus say was the purpose for raising Lazarus? “did I not tell you (the people) that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” What is the glory of God? That God is the God of the living! God raises the dead…. What would be important about restoring earthly life that will die again???? NOTHING…. The glory of God to be seen is that God raises us from the dead spiritually…. So, what does this all mean???? It means that when Adam died, every faculty of his being died. Adam could not sew fig leaves together to save himself. Adam could not choose God or come to God…. God had to come to him. Adam’s free-will was dead and bent to only evil and not to God. And so we too are bent to evil and not to God. Our free-will chooses only evil, unless God regenerates our hearts to be born again. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />....
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Let’s read John 3:1-8. Jesus was approached by Nicodemus because he was amazed at the miracles performed by Him. Jesus responds to him and says “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Why would someone need to be born again? Because they are dead! And how can someone be dead, and yet still have any faculties in his being that can reach out to God? A man without the Spirit of God, cannot accept the things of God. Nicodemus didn’t understand it either, because Nicodemus was dead in trespasses. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless He is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” ....
.. ..
WOW WHAT AN AMAZING PASSAGE!!! Do you understand what Jesus is saying? Flesh gives birth to flesh…. When your parents decided to have you, they chose to have you and gave birth to flesh (you had no ability to choose your fleshly birth). Flesh (free-will or religious practice) cannot give birth to Spirit. Just as the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, so does the Spirit raise us from the dead. Jesus said that we must be born of water and the Spirit. If you don’t know, “water” is the Word of God. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17), and by the Spirit. And then Jesus likens the born again person to wind. We do not know who will be saved, but God does. Just as the wind blows and we can’t see it or know where it comes from, so it is with future Christians—we do not know who will be saved. We are to proclaim God’s Word to all people because we do not know which ones God has elected to be saved. Do you want to see an Old Testament example of what Jesus is talking about here??? Read Ezekiel 37:1-14. Do you see it????? God commanded Ezekiel to “prophesy” which means proclaim God’s Word. And the Spirit of God, through the proclaiming of God’s Word breathed life into dead bones. God even asked Ezekiel…. “Can these live?” And Ezekiel said, “Oh Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (v. 3). SOVEREIGN LORD! It is God who chose to raise them from the dead! Sovereign because He is in control over all creation from its beginning to its end! He is the only Savior. Ezekiel could not raise them from the dead and the dead cannot raise themselves from the dead. It is a sovereign work of God alone. Ezekiel was the messenger of God’s Word. The Spirit is what will win a soul, because it is only by the Spirit of God that man’s Spirit can be born again to “choose God.” This is the doctrine of Regeneration. God opens the eyes of a dead sinner by the use of His Word (“Repent!”) and then when that man is convicted of his sin (“and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”), he is saved. John 6:44 – “No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” Now let’s read Romans 8:28-31. If God has predestined you to be saved, who can be against you? Now read Romans 9:9-23. ....
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This is the most powerful statement in the Bible in reference to God’s choosing. One of the hardest things to accept about God’s election is trying to understand why some aren’t saved. And here is the answer that makes God SOVEREIGN OVER ALL CREATION! God is a just God. I used to hate this chapter in the Bible! I never understood how this could be my God. Verse 11 says, “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works (religious practices or free-will) but by Him who calls.” Jacob was a liar and nowhere near more holy than Esau. God chose Jacob, because “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (v. 15). Verse 16 says, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” God hardens who he wants to harden…. Now here is the most important thing to remember…. God does all this to show his power; to show that He is God and we are not. God is a just God for letting men who are dead in their trespasses and cannot choose God, to continue in their free-will. Man’s free-will according to Romans 3:11, does not want God. So, God is just for giving men what they want. And He is ALL MARVELOUSLY GRACIOUS AND FULL OF MERCY FOR OPENING THE EYES OF A DEAD SINNER. I fall to my face because….. WHY ME? WHY DID HE CHOOSE ME? THERE IS NOTHING GOOD IN ME!!!! I SHOULD BE A DEAD SINNER, BUT WHY ME???? HE IN ALL HIS MERCY CHOSE TO GIVE ME GRACE. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not by works, so that no one can boast.” Who can boast of choosing God, when it is God who chose you? Did you ever wonder why some people much smarter than you don’t believe in Jesus??? It’s because they can’t hear—they are dead!!! Matthew 13:13-15: “This is why I speak in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” Then Jesus said in verse 16: “but blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Now do you see why Jesus healed the blind and gave hearing to the deaf? It was to show a spiritual truth! Just as Jesus heals your earthly deafness, I REALLY CAME TO HEAL YOUR SPIRITUAL DEAFNESS! I raised Lazarus from the dead, and even raised Myself from the dead, so that you can see I RAISE YOU’RE SPIRIT FROM THE DEAD! And again Jesus tells Peter after Peter is “born-again” to who Jesus is…. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” ....
.. ..
One of the hardest things for me to accept was in Romans 9:19-21 when Paul assumes the critique of men when they would say, “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” Paul doesn’t even answer their question!!! Paul simply goes back and says “But who are you oh man to talk back to God?” And this is the only real answer we need! HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT! This very truth reveals the pride in our hearts. There is no other scripture in the Bible that will expose your pride as much as this verse! Who are you oh man to talk back to God??? What happened in the story of Job? Job ranted forever about “woe is me.” But God never told Job why He did what He did…. God just showed Job, that He is God, and Job is not! God is exceedingly merciful for regenerating the hearts of the elect (Rom. 9:23), and He’s all powerful and just for letting some follow their own hearts and free-will to destruction (Rom. 9:22) It’s always good to remember that throughout history, God has always had a remnant! Blessed are you to be in that remnant! If God allowed all of us to our own free-will that was in bondage to sin and death, he would be perfectly just for doing it… But if God reaches down out of that cesspool of death and picks a remnant for Himself, then through that, His Glory is magnified by His great mercy shown to us. ....
.. ..
The doctrine of total depravity is this: Man is dead in his trespasses and every faculty of his being is affected. He cannot do good things to save himself. He cannot choose God. Even his free-will is affected. Only Adam had the ability to truly choose God, and he forfeited it and became a slave to sin and death. ....
.. ..
The doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is this: That God has known all things from the beginning of creation, even whom He would save. God is not the author of evil, nor enjoys it. God gave free-will, but that free-will chose death and is now forever in death, unless God “re-births” us to be “new creations.” God is in control of all things, and if there is anything not under His control and authority, then He would cease to be God. ....
.. ..
These doctrines go a lot deeper than just this, but these are just the basic tidbits of it. So, everything you said about salvation is true, but I just added depth to it!! It is very, very, very important to know what sin and death really are. Sin is missing the mark of holiness, but death makes you a slave to itself. The wages of sin is death. This is why it is important to be holy. Because without holiness no one can see God (Heb. 12:14). Now do you see how marvelous Jesus is for giving us His holiness. We are not holy in practice (yet), but we are holy in declaration. God has called us holy as in a court of law, not by our works, but by His Works. True separation from God is being dead to God and not being able to reach Him because you cannot see or hear. THIS IS WHY HE’S A SAVIOR! Because He comes to someone who is COMPLETELY HELPLESS, and doesn’t even know they need help! And opens their eyes. Understanding these doctrinal truths is just the beginning….
..
If you can accept these clear teachings of the Bible, then you will be able to understand many, many errors floating around in Christianity today. You will understand that you cannot “sweet-talk” someone to Jesus. Only the proclaiming of His Word with the power of the Holy Spirit can lead someone to Christ. All we have to do is make sure we are preaching the Gospel and nothing else! What did Paul say in 1 Cor. 2:3-5: “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” AMEN!
The Total Depravity of Men and the Sovereignty of God
These teachings are seriously lacking in the church today. There is no other teaching that puts God on His throne like this one does! God is Almighty, and you are not, oh man!
Genesis 2:16-17, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” What is this spiritual death? Let’s look at it for a moment. Adam and Eve were formed perfect. They had free-will to do whatever: Please God or rebel against God. They chose to rebel and it brought death to them, and to all their descendents after them. Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” You may have never heard this before, but spiritual death means that a person is in bondage to sin and CANNOT DO GOOD, CANNOT CHOOSE GOOD, AND CANNOT CHOOSE GOD. Romans 3:10-11: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” So, here is the doctrine of total depravity: Man cannot be saved unless God sovereignly elects that man to be saved. Here is a question….. Why did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, and also the little girl? WHY WOULD HE DO THAT? Jesus healed people so that it would be a shadow of what eternal healing provides. And Jesus raised the dead to be a shadow of “the new birth.” Let’s look at the story of Lazarus. Read John 11:38-44. Now let me ask you this question…. Could Lazarus raise himself from the dead? What did Jesus say was the purpose for raising Lazarus? “did I not tell you (the people) that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” What is the glory of God? That God is the God of the living! God raises the dead…. What would be important about restoring earthly life that will die again???? NOTHING…. The glory of God to be seen is that God raises us from the dead spiritually…. So, what does this all mean???? It means that when Adam died, every faculty of his being died. Adam could not sew fig leaves together to save himself. Adam could not choose God or come to God…. God had to come to him. Adam’s free-will was dead and bent to only evil and not to God. And so we too are bent to evil and not to God. Our free-will chooses only evil, unless God regenerates our hearts to be born again. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />....
.. ..
Let’s read John 3:1-8. Jesus was approached by Nicodemus because he was amazed at the miracles performed by Him. Jesus responds to him and says “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Why would someone need to be born again? Because they are dead! And how can someone be dead, and yet still have any faculties in his being that can reach out to God? A man without the Spirit of God, cannot accept the things of God. Nicodemus didn’t understand it either, because Nicodemus was dead in trespasses. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless He is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” ....
.. ..
WOW WHAT AN AMAZING PASSAGE!!! Do you understand what Jesus is saying? Flesh gives birth to flesh…. When your parents decided to have you, they chose to have you and gave birth to flesh (you had no ability to choose your fleshly birth). Flesh (free-will or religious practice) cannot give birth to Spirit. Just as the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, so does the Spirit raise us from the dead. Jesus said that we must be born of water and the Spirit. If you don’t know, “water” is the Word of God. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17), and by the Spirit. And then Jesus likens the born again person to wind. We do not know who will be saved, but God does. Just as the wind blows and we can’t see it or know where it comes from, so it is with future Christians—we do not know who will be saved. We are to proclaim God’s Word to all people because we do not know which ones God has elected to be saved. Do you want to see an Old Testament example of what Jesus is talking about here??? Read Ezekiel 37:1-14. Do you see it????? God commanded Ezekiel to “prophesy” which means proclaim God’s Word. And the Spirit of God, through the proclaiming of God’s Word breathed life into dead bones. God even asked Ezekiel…. “Can these live?” And Ezekiel said, “Oh Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (v. 3). SOVEREIGN LORD! It is God who chose to raise them from the dead! Sovereign because He is in control over all creation from its beginning to its end! He is the only Savior. Ezekiel could not raise them from the dead and the dead cannot raise themselves from the dead. It is a sovereign work of God alone. Ezekiel was the messenger of God’s Word. The Spirit is what will win a soul, because it is only by the Spirit of God that man’s Spirit can be born again to “choose God.” This is the doctrine of Regeneration. God opens the eyes of a dead sinner by the use of His Word (“Repent!”) and then when that man is convicted of his sin (“and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”), he is saved. John 6:44 – “No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” Now let’s read Romans 8:28-31. If God has predestined you to be saved, who can be against you? Now read Romans 9:9-23. ....
.. ..
This is the most powerful statement in the Bible in reference to God’s choosing. One of the hardest things to accept about God’s election is trying to understand why some aren’t saved. And here is the answer that makes God SOVEREIGN OVER ALL CREATION! God is a just God. I used to hate this chapter in the Bible! I never understood how this could be my God. Verse 11 says, “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works (religious practices or free-will) but by Him who calls.” Jacob was a liar and nowhere near more holy than Esau. God chose Jacob, because “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (v. 15). Verse 16 says, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” God hardens who he wants to harden…. Now here is the most important thing to remember…. God does all this to show his power; to show that He is God and we are not. God is a just God for letting men who are dead in their trespasses and cannot choose God, to continue in their free-will. Man’s free-will according to Romans 3:11, does not want God. So, God is just for giving men what they want. And He is ALL MARVELOUSLY GRACIOUS AND FULL OF MERCY FOR OPENING THE EYES OF A DEAD SINNER. I fall to my face because….. WHY ME? WHY DID HE CHOOSE ME? THERE IS NOTHING GOOD IN ME!!!! I SHOULD BE A DEAD SINNER, BUT WHY ME???? HE IN ALL HIS MERCY CHOSE TO GIVE ME GRACE. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not by works, so that no one can boast.” Who can boast of choosing God, when it is God who chose you? Did you ever wonder why some people much smarter than you don’t believe in Jesus??? It’s because they can’t hear—they are dead!!! Matthew 13:13-15: “This is why I speak in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” Then Jesus said in verse 16: “but blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Now do you see why Jesus healed the blind and gave hearing to the deaf? It was to show a spiritual truth! Just as Jesus heals your earthly deafness, I REALLY CAME TO HEAL YOUR SPIRITUAL DEAFNESS! I raised Lazarus from the dead, and even raised Myself from the dead, so that you can see I RAISE YOU’RE SPIRIT FROM THE DEAD! And again Jesus tells Peter after Peter is “born-again” to who Jesus is…. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” ....
.. ..
One of the hardest things for me to accept was in Romans 9:19-21 when Paul assumes the critique of men when they would say, “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” Paul doesn’t even answer their question!!! Paul simply goes back and says “But who are you oh man to talk back to God?” And this is the only real answer we need! HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT! This very truth reveals the pride in our hearts. There is no other scripture in the Bible that will expose your pride as much as this verse! Who are you oh man to talk back to God??? What happened in the story of Job? Job ranted forever about “woe is me.” But God never told Job why He did what He did…. God just showed Job, that He is God, and Job is not! God is exceedingly merciful for regenerating the hearts of the elect (Rom. 9:23), and He’s all powerful and just for letting some follow their own hearts and free-will to destruction (Rom. 9:22) It’s always good to remember that throughout history, God has always had a remnant! Blessed are you to be in that remnant! If God allowed all of us to our own free-will that was in bondage to sin and death, he would be perfectly just for doing it… But if God reaches down out of that cesspool of death and picks a remnant for Himself, then through that, His Glory is magnified by His great mercy shown to us. ....
.. ..
The doctrine of total depravity is this: Man is dead in his trespasses and every faculty of his being is affected. He cannot do good things to save himself. He cannot choose God. Even his free-will is affected. Only Adam had the ability to truly choose God, and he forfeited it and became a slave to sin and death. ....
.. ..
The doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is this: That God has known all things from the beginning of creation, even whom He would save. God is not the author of evil, nor enjoys it. God gave free-will, but that free-will chose death and is now forever in death, unless God “re-births” us to be “new creations.” God is in control of all things, and if there is anything not under His control and authority, then He would cease to be God. ....
.. ..
These doctrines go a lot deeper than just this, but these are just the basic tidbits of it. So, everything you said about salvation is true, but I just added depth to it!! It is very, very, very important to know what sin and death really are. Sin is missing the mark of holiness, but death makes you a slave to itself. The wages of sin is death. This is why it is important to be holy. Because without holiness no one can see God (Heb. 12:14). Now do you see how marvelous Jesus is for giving us His holiness. We are not holy in practice (yet), but we are holy in declaration. God has called us holy as in a court of law, not by our works, but by His Works. True separation from God is being dead to God and not being able to reach Him because you cannot see or hear. THIS IS WHY HE’S A SAVIOR! Because He comes to someone who is COMPLETELY HELPLESS, and doesn’t even know they need help! And opens their eyes. Understanding these doctrinal truths is just the beginning….
..
If you can accept these clear teachings of the Bible, then you will be able to understand many, many errors floating around in Christianity today. You will understand that you cannot “sweet-talk” someone to Jesus. Only the proclaiming of His Word with the power of the Holy Spirit can lead someone to Christ. All we have to do is make sure we are preaching the Gospel and nothing else! What did Paul say in 1 Cor. 2:3-5: “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” AMEN!
A Quick Overview of Sola Scriptura
This post was originally written in March 2010.
What is Sola Scriptura? Why is it (or should it be) important to us?
Sola Scriptura is Latin for “Scripture Alone.” This is a title that comes from the reformers of the 1500’s. Martin Luther and the reformers had a simple plea: If it’s not found in Holy Scripture then it is not divinely authoritative over my life.
We live in a time where people want to know God, but they seek Him outside of the ONLY place He has revealed Himself to us: His Word. Many Christians want to “experience” God rather than understand that He has already given us everything we need to know Him and commune with Him. Emotions are never the gauge upon which we are to know if we are in fellowship with God. His Word (even if it is a painful double-edged sword to our souls) is how we are to examine ourselves to see if we are actually in the faith and to know Him.
Sola Scriptura encompasses a plethora of truth, but here are 3 that are most important: 1) The Infallibility of God’s Word, 2) the Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word, and 3) the Sufficiency of God’s Word.
We get this Bible doctrine from numerous verses but primarily a lot is understood from 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Infallibility of God’s Word: This is a simple teaching: If you believe that the Bible is full of contradictions and errors, then you must also believe that God is not capable of preserving His Word for all generations. Therefore, God’s Word as stated in 2 Tim. 3:16 is given by inspiration of Him! If He has given it, then He also preserves it forever. Therefore, it stood then and it still stands now: Error-free and immaculate.
The Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word: Once you have established and hold firm to the belief that God’s Word is infallible, then you must come to fear it. You must hold it reverent above all other authorities. There is no rule in your life greater than the Word of God. It is our rule on which we examine all other beliefs. If “thou shall…” then you shall. If “thou shall not…” then you shall not. We are to obey the Old and New Testament commands, and grow in our knowledge of it to make sure we apply all of our hearts and minds to obey God, the Creator of the world. This also nullifies a “prophet” who says that they are hearing from God in this day and age. If God is STILL speaking to people apart from what is already written, then the Bible is not complete and we need to start adding more books after Revelation. This is very, very dangerous. Be wary of anyone who says, “God told me…” If God has revealed understanding of the Bible-- that is one thing, but if they feel God is leading them through other means (not the Bible) I would suggest that they are not hearing from God at all. If we do not turn specifically and primarily to the Old and New Testament to understand what God says, then we make God himself subjective and not objective. God is ABSOLUTE TRUTH! One characteristic of absolute truth is that there is always a standard or law that you can always go back and refer to. In math, you return to laws of addition and subtraction to understand basic concepts of numbers, so do you go to the Scriptures to understand the revelation that God has given us to know Him. For example, if someone says that lying is ok as long as it’s for a good purpose, then we know that this is not true. We can analyze that statement with the Bible which says lying is always a sin. The Bible is our governing authority, not just as Christians, but even if we are non-believers.
After we understand the ultimate authority that the Bible has over our lives, then we must believe the SUPREMACY of God’s Word. When God speaks, He speaks by His own authority. Therefore, whatever He speaks is supreme over all other speech! Philosophy, science, human opinion or wisdom, emotions, or anything else cannot usurp God’s Word. God’s Word cannot be supplemented or made equal to anything else. No one can come behind God and correct His Word. God does not need man to clarify or make better His Word. Because He is the creator of all things, He has supreme speech on everything that does and should happen. His judgments are coming. His Word tells us that He is patient, but one day whether we are physically alive or dead, He will judge us for everything we’ve ever done. His Word is SUPREME!
The Sufficiency of God’s Word: And finally we come to the sufficiency of God’s Word. This is probably the most crucial part of the Bible that we MUST BELIEVE in order to keep from becoming a heretical Christian! What does the sufficiency of God’s Word mean? It means that God’s Word is perfectly able to instruct us in EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES! If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible lacks full guidance, then we call God a liar because 2 Tim. 3:17 says, “…That the man of God may be perfect; thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” True, the Bible may be hard to understand what God has to say about many of our current events, but when we look at the Bible as a whole, it will form our Christian worldview, then based on our worldview, then we will understand God’s will in those situations. For example, when we face people who believe abortion is a woman’s choice… then we must look to the scriptures and see that God considers abortion to be murder. The Bible never says that aborting a fetus is murder, but it states that from the womb God knows us (Ps. 139:13). Abortionists (the pregnant women included) believe that the fetus is not a person. Therefore, we must remind them of what God says a “fetus” really is: A person. The Bible is sufficient for all of life. It is not an ancient book that has no relevancy on our lives. If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible is lacking in guidance, we must fall on our knees and ask God to forgive us of unbelief. We must wait patiently as He guides our study of His Word and ultimately to our understanding of it.
This is just a quick overview of the doctrine of Holy Scripture. I hope that your view of the Bible is held so highly, that to not engage in studying it will convict you. To not desire God’s Word is to not desire God Himself. To not hold highly His Word is to not hold Him highly either.
What is Sola Scriptura? Why is it (or should it be) important to us?
Sola Scriptura is Latin for “Scripture Alone.” This is a title that comes from the reformers of the 1500’s. Martin Luther and the reformers had a simple plea: If it’s not found in Holy Scripture then it is not divinely authoritative over my life.
We live in a time where people want to know God, but they seek Him outside of the ONLY place He has revealed Himself to us: His Word. Many Christians want to “experience” God rather than understand that He has already given us everything we need to know Him and commune with Him. Emotions are never the gauge upon which we are to know if we are in fellowship with God. His Word (even if it is a painful double-edged sword to our souls) is how we are to examine ourselves to see if we are actually in the faith and to know Him.
Sola Scriptura encompasses a plethora of truth, but here are 3 that are most important: 1) The Infallibility of God’s Word, 2) the Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word, and 3) the Sufficiency of God’s Word.
We get this Bible doctrine from numerous verses but primarily a lot is understood from 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Infallibility of God’s Word: This is a simple teaching: If you believe that the Bible is full of contradictions and errors, then you must also believe that God is not capable of preserving His Word for all generations. Therefore, God’s Word as stated in 2 Tim. 3:16 is given by inspiration of Him! If He has given it, then He also preserves it forever. Therefore, it stood then and it still stands now: Error-free and immaculate.
The Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word: Once you have established and hold firm to the belief that God’s Word is infallible, then you must come to fear it. You must hold it reverent above all other authorities. There is no rule in your life greater than the Word of God. It is our rule on which we examine all other beliefs. If “thou shall…” then you shall. If “thou shall not…” then you shall not. We are to obey the Old and New Testament commands, and grow in our knowledge of it to make sure we apply all of our hearts and minds to obey God, the Creator of the world. This also nullifies a “prophet” who says that they are hearing from God in this day and age. If God is STILL speaking to people apart from what is already written, then the Bible is not complete and we need to start adding more books after Revelation. This is very, very dangerous. Be wary of anyone who says, “God told me…” If God has revealed understanding of the Bible-- that is one thing, but if they feel God is leading them through other means (not the Bible) I would suggest that they are not hearing from God at all. If we do not turn specifically and primarily to the Old and New Testament to understand what God says, then we make God himself subjective and not objective. God is ABSOLUTE TRUTH! One characteristic of absolute truth is that there is always a standard or law that you can always go back and refer to. In math, you return to laws of addition and subtraction to understand basic concepts of numbers, so do you go to the Scriptures to understand the revelation that God has given us to know Him. For example, if someone says that lying is ok as long as it’s for a good purpose, then we know that this is not true. We can analyze that statement with the Bible which says lying is always a sin. The Bible is our governing authority, not just as Christians, but even if we are non-believers.
After we understand the ultimate authority that the Bible has over our lives, then we must believe the SUPREMACY of God’s Word. When God speaks, He speaks by His own authority. Therefore, whatever He speaks is supreme over all other speech! Philosophy, science, human opinion or wisdom, emotions, or anything else cannot usurp God’s Word. God’s Word cannot be supplemented or made equal to anything else. No one can come behind God and correct His Word. God does not need man to clarify or make better His Word. Because He is the creator of all things, He has supreme speech on everything that does and should happen. His judgments are coming. His Word tells us that He is patient, but one day whether we are physically alive or dead, He will judge us for everything we’ve ever done. His Word is SUPREME!
The Sufficiency of God’s Word: And finally we come to the sufficiency of God’s Word. This is probably the most crucial part of the Bible that we MUST BELIEVE in order to keep from becoming a heretical Christian! What does the sufficiency of God’s Word mean? It means that God’s Word is perfectly able to instruct us in EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES! If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible lacks full guidance, then we call God a liar because 2 Tim. 3:17 says, “…That the man of God may be perfect; thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” True, the Bible may be hard to understand what God has to say about many of our current events, but when we look at the Bible as a whole, it will form our Christian worldview, then based on our worldview, then we will understand God’s will in those situations. For example, when we face people who believe abortion is a woman’s choice… then we must look to the scriptures and see that God considers abortion to be murder. The Bible never says that aborting a fetus is murder, but it states that from the womb God knows us (Ps. 139:13). Abortionists (the pregnant women included) believe that the fetus is not a person. Therefore, we must remind them of what God says a “fetus” really is: A person. The Bible is sufficient for all of life. It is not an ancient book that has no relevancy on our lives. If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible is lacking in guidance, we must fall on our knees and ask God to forgive us of unbelief. We must wait patiently as He guides our study of His Word and ultimately to our understanding of it.
This is just a quick overview of the doctrine of Holy Scripture. I hope that your view of the Bible is held so highly, that to not engage in studying it will convict you. To not desire God’s Word is to not desire God Himself. To not hold highly His Word is to not hold Him highly either.
We Are All Idolaters
This post was originally written in March 2010.
We Are All Idolaters
Please read all the verses and then read my commentary on them last.
Psalm 50:16-22. It is a wicked thing to make ourselves equal to God. God is speaking of evil men here, who think that God is with them as they go on living their sinful life. Because the consequences of their sins or the wrath of God has not touched them yet, they consider themselves to be in union with God.
Exodus 20:4-5. God commands us to have no other gods before Him, and to not make idols for ourselves; Idols of anything in the heavens, on the earth, or in the sea. Basically, do not worship creation, but only the Creator. We are to give all our worship and thanksgiving to Him alone. This command is given to condemn us of our depraved natures which are always seeking to make God in our own image, rather than who He is and who He reveals Himself to be.
Isaiah 14:12-14. The heart of Satan is to “… be like the most High God.” It is his strongest desire to be equal or higher to God. A creature cannot demand or even attain such a position. But it is of great importance that we see the pride of Satan here to better understand the evil of him and even ourselves.
Genesis 3:5. By eating of the fruit that God commanded Adam and Eve to not eat from, Satan convinces them that they will now be like God. The sin that brought forth the fall was the sin to seek equality with God; to be independent of Him, in order to rule and reign by our own sovereignty. It is a scratching and clawing to thwart the controlling hand of the Creator, in order that we can steer the ship with Him or without Him.
Genesis 6:5. As a result of the fall, every intention of the thought of man’s heart was only evil continually. Continually; non-stop; without rest; never-ending! This is what is known as “total depravity.” Man is sinful by nature. There is not an ounce of goodness in and of his self. The judgment of God upon our sinful person is the rightful act of God’s justice. God is perfectly just for condemning us.
Genesis 11:4. It is important to note that the Flood did not erase the depravity of man mentioned in the verse above. After the Flood, man still came together with the desire to build a temple higher than the heavens. It is an ultimate display of raising themselves to a place equal with God. They wanted to strip God of His majesty in place of the majesty of what their hands could build. Their hearts desired to be completely self-sufficient without the provisions or knowledge of God. They tried to suppress the truth by erasing it.
Romans 1:21-25. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he begins his teaching by showing the total depravity of man. At the root of men is a desire to worship the creature rather than the creator. Man would much rather make a beast that looks more like the God they want to serve rather than the revealed God of Scripture. Man would like to paint a picture of who God is in their own minds and suppress the God of truth. Generations have past for thousands of years, and man still cannot shake our sinful nature. As it was in the garden, so we are now. We hate the hand of our Creator. We would rather Him leave us to our own ways, and not even hint to us that we are evil and worthy of condemnation.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4. God tests His people. He is the one who raises these false teachers, preachers, and prophets. He does so to see if our love is genuine. Now we must be careful not to convince ourselves that God is not omniscient. God knows who His elect are and who is not. He doesn’t test our hearts in order to “learn” about us as though God is seeking understanding. In actuality, we are the ones who see God taking us through the rivers of false teachers and overcoming them by the knowledge of truth. It is by God’s sovereign and merciful hand that we (the chosen) are not entrapped to such deception. The testing that we forego is for our benefit to see that God is for us and not against us, those who are called by His name! Notice how the “prophet” or “dreamer” in this passage compels his listeners to “go after other gods.” This doesn’t mean the false prophet is always going to boldly say “let’s go after other gods” but his message always leads to that outcome. If someone stands behind the pulpit of a church, broadcasts themselves on television, or even publishes their material to be bought in Christian bookstores, if you hear a message that is more about you and your life than about who God is and what Christ has done for us, then you very well may be listening to a “dreamer.”
2 Thess. 2:9-12. Again we see that it is God who sends a strong delusion, “so that they may believe the lie, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Now I know there are many people who would try and erase the clear words that are spoken here! In their minds they say, “My God would not send a delusion in order to condemn people.” But that is exactly what it says in this passage. We must believe scripture even when it is hard for us to believe. This is a passage that causes us want to bring God to our level, because God wouldn’t decree evil. But it is clear… GOD SENT THE DELUSION. Now we must remember what God said in Psalm 50… “You thought I was like you.” We must realize that we are totally depraved sinners, and we are the evil ones, not God. God is Holy and cannot be accredited with evil. God is allowed to do with His creation whatever He pleases. That is the essence of what it is to be God. If we hate that God can send delusion and still be Holy, then wouldn’t it be true that we do not love the God of the Bible? Do you have your own image of who you expect God to be? Have you thought God sees justice as you see justice and mercy as you see mercy? That God never condemns people unless they deserve it, yet you forget that you too deserve it? For God is God because He can do with His creation whatsoever He pleases and we can rest assured that He is and always will be Holy. Repent! And cry out for mercy to the God who hears you, and sent His Son to die upon the cross for your sin of idolatry.
2 Tim. 3:1-5. In this extensive list of sins that we can see even in our day (which may mean we are living in the last days), the first one mentioned was that men would be lovers of self. All the preaching they desire to hear (1 Tim. 4:1-4) is the kind that tickles their ears; caters to their fleshly desires. Instead of hearing a message on the holiness of God and the wickedness of ourselves, we trade it in for a message of relevance. Instead of the Attributes of God, we want to hear about financial management and how to use our money wisely “for God.” Instead of hearing about the mysteries of Christ, we want to hear about how to raise our children and be a good husband, apart from the gospel. Instead of hearing the gospel, we want to hear about the pastor’s life and the “wonderful,” and often funny, stories he conjures up. Oh if we only could grasp how the early church lived, preached, and desired Christ, we would all feel ashamed at what we’ve done with the Christianity that was passed down to us. We have failed to remain orthodox to the teaching of the Apostles.
Philippians 2:5-8. And now we see the wonderful gospel. Through all the previous passages we have seen our sinful nature and all its desires to be equal with God; whether it is to bring God down to our level or to raise ourselves up to His. And if anyone fails to see themselves as idolaters after reading this Bible study, then I have written in vain. Let God’s written Word reveal who He truly is, and not an image of who you think Him to be. Now “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Jesus is God, yet He humbled Himself and came to a fallen world full of idolaters like you and I, and died upon the cross for our sin. Though we wrestle with God to be equal with Him, Jesus came to us willingly and lived the humble life that we have failed to do. Our scratching and clawing for equality with God has stored up His wrath to be poured out on us, but Jesus drank in that entire wrath. The very God that we wanted to make like ourselves willingly dwelt among us in humility and gave the Father worship we ought to have given. He was “obedient to the point of death.” Not just any death but “death on a cross.” He suffered a torturous death and was obedient to the will of the Father. Oh, how wonderful He is to save such wicked people as us who believe. Come to Jesus you who have nothing to offer Him in return; “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1). The water of God is given to you who thirst for forgiveness and mercy, and you can drink your fill. Come and buy the milk and honey of God that Christ has paid for by His righteousness. Do not try and buy the sweet provision of God with your own money, but come in and buy with the wages that Christ has earned for you. Repent of your wickedness and believe on Jesus Christ.
We Are All Idolaters
Please read all the verses and then read my commentary on them last.
Psalm 50:16-22. It is a wicked thing to make ourselves equal to God. God is speaking of evil men here, who think that God is with them as they go on living their sinful life. Because the consequences of their sins or the wrath of God has not touched them yet, they consider themselves to be in union with God.
Exodus 20:4-5. God commands us to have no other gods before Him, and to not make idols for ourselves; Idols of anything in the heavens, on the earth, or in the sea. Basically, do not worship creation, but only the Creator. We are to give all our worship and thanksgiving to Him alone. This command is given to condemn us of our depraved natures which are always seeking to make God in our own image, rather than who He is and who He reveals Himself to be.
Isaiah 14:12-14. The heart of Satan is to “… be like the most High God.” It is his strongest desire to be equal or higher to God. A creature cannot demand or even attain such a position. But it is of great importance that we see the pride of Satan here to better understand the evil of him and even ourselves.
Genesis 3:5. By eating of the fruit that God commanded Adam and Eve to not eat from, Satan convinces them that they will now be like God. The sin that brought forth the fall was the sin to seek equality with God; to be independent of Him, in order to rule and reign by our own sovereignty. It is a scratching and clawing to thwart the controlling hand of the Creator, in order that we can steer the ship with Him or without Him.
Genesis 6:5. As a result of the fall, every intention of the thought of man’s heart was only evil continually. Continually; non-stop; without rest; never-ending! This is what is known as “total depravity.” Man is sinful by nature. There is not an ounce of goodness in and of his self. The judgment of God upon our sinful person is the rightful act of God’s justice. God is perfectly just for condemning us.
Genesis 11:4. It is important to note that the Flood did not erase the depravity of man mentioned in the verse above. After the Flood, man still came together with the desire to build a temple higher than the heavens. It is an ultimate display of raising themselves to a place equal with God. They wanted to strip God of His majesty in place of the majesty of what their hands could build. Their hearts desired to be completely self-sufficient without the provisions or knowledge of God. They tried to suppress the truth by erasing it.
Romans 1:21-25. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he begins his teaching by showing the total depravity of man. At the root of men is a desire to worship the creature rather than the creator. Man would much rather make a beast that looks more like the God they want to serve rather than the revealed God of Scripture. Man would like to paint a picture of who God is in their own minds and suppress the God of truth. Generations have past for thousands of years, and man still cannot shake our sinful nature. As it was in the garden, so we are now. We hate the hand of our Creator. We would rather Him leave us to our own ways, and not even hint to us that we are evil and worthy of condemnation.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4. God tests His people. He is the one who raises these false teachers, preachers, and prophets. He does so to see if our love is genuine. Now we must be careful not to convince ourselves that God is not omniscient. God knows who His elect are and who is not. He doesn’t test our hearts in order to “learn” about us as though God is seeking understanding. In actuality, we are the ones who see God taking us through the rivers of false teachers and overcoming them by the knowledge of truth. It is by God’s sovereign and merciful hand that we (the chosen) are not entrapped to such deception. The testing that we forego is for our benefit to see that God is for us and not against us, those who are called by His name! Notice how the “prophet” or “dreamer” in this passage compels his listeners to “go after other gods.” This doesn’t mean the false prophet is always going to boldly say “let’s go after other gods” but his message always leads to that outcome. If someone stands behind the pulpit of a church, broadcasts themselves on television, or even publishes their material to be bought in Christian bookstores, if you hear a message that is more about you and your life than about who God is and what Christ has done for us, then you very well may be listening to a “dreamer.”
2 Thess. 2:9-12. Again we see that it is God who sends a strong delusion, “so that they may believe the lie, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Now I know there are many people who would try and erase the clear words that are spoken here! In their minds they say, “My God would not send a delusion in order to condemn people.” But that is exactly what it says in this passage. We must believe scripture even when it is hard for us to believe. This is a passage that causes us want to bring God to our level, because God wouldn’t decree evil. But it is clear… GOD SENT THE DELUSION. Now we must remember what God said in Psalm 50… “You thought I was like you.” We must realize that we are totally depraved sinners, and we are the evil ones, not God. God is Holy and cannot be accredited with evil. God is allowed to do with His creation whatever He pleases. That is the essence of what it is to be God. If we hate that God can send delusion and still be Holy, then wouldn’t it be true that we do not love the God of the Bible? Do you have your own image of who you expect God to be? Have you thought God sees justice as you see justice and mercy as you see mercy? That God never condemns people unless they deserve it, yet you forget that you too deserve it? For God is God because He can do with His creation whatsoever He pleases and we can rest assured that He is and always will be Holy. Repent! And cry out for mercy to the God who hears you, and sent His Son to die upon the cross for your sin of idolatry.
2 Tim. 3:1-5. In this extensive list of sins that we can see even in our day (which may mean we are living in the last days), the first one mentioned was that men would be lovers of self. All the preaching they desire to hear (1 Tim. 4:1-4) is the kind that tickles their ears; caters to their fleshly desires. Instead of hearing a message on the holiness of God and the wickedness of ourselves, we trade it in for a message of relevance. Instead of the Attributes of God, we want to hear about financial management and how to use our money wisely “for God.” Instead of hearing about the mysteries of Christ, we want to hear about how to raise our children and be a good husband, apart from the gospel. Instead of hearing the gospel, we want to hear about the pastor’s life and the “wonderful,” and often funny, stories he conjures up. Oh if we only could grasp how the early church lived, preached, and desired Christ, we would all feel ashamed at what we’ve done with the Christianity that was passed down to us. We have failed to remain orthodox to the teaching of the Apostles.
Philippians 2:5-8. And now we see the wonderful gospel. Through all the previous passages we have seen our sinful nature and all its desires to be equal with God; whether it is to bring God down to our level or to raise ourselves up to His. And if anyone fails to see themselves as idolaters after reading this Bible study, then I have written in vain. Let God’s written Word reveal who He truly is, and not an image of who you think Him to be. Now “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Jesus is God, yet He humbled Himself and came to a fallen world full of idolaters like you and I, and died upon the cross for our sin. Though we wrestle with God to be equal with Him, Jesus came to us willingly and lived the humble life that we have failed to do. Our scratching and clawing for equality with God has stored up His wrath to be poured out on us, but Jesus drank in that entire wrath. The very God that we wanted to make like ourselves willingly dwelt among us in humility and gave the Father worship we ought to have given. He was “obedient to the point of death.” Not just any death but “death on a cross.” He suffered a torturous death and was obedient to the will of the Father. Oh, how wonderful He is to save such wicked people as us who believe. Come to Jesus you who have nothing to offer Him in return; “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1). The water of God is given to you who thirst for forgiveness and mercy, and you can drink your fill. Come and buy the milk and honey of God that Christ has paid for by His righteousness. Do not try and buy the sweet provision of God with your own money, but come in and buy with the wages that Christ has earned for you. Repent of your wickedness and believe on Jesus Christ.
A little about me...
Hello to whomever decides to read this. I have never been a blogger, but I do enjoy reading them. I have always enjoyed writing, but I've never been very consistent with it. Hopefully, having a blog will motivate me to continue with this form of artistic expression. I typically write for teaching purposes, but I will also attempt to write simply for the pleasure of writing. It is to be determined if that is feasible for me due to my analytical brain by which my wife would attest has no artistic ability whatsoever. It took me 31 years to realize I over analyze EVERYTHING and do not possess that part of the brain that lends to artistic ability. However, I will attempt to make this blog as interesting as possible.
A little about me... I was born and raised in a little town called Rayne, LA (Cajun Country). I'm 31 years old. I joined the US Air Force right out of high school and have been serving ever since. I'm currently stationed in the frigid north, North Dakota that is, and I enjoy everything the beautiful state has to offer. I am married to the most wonderful woman on the planet, Cait, who consistently brings out the best in me and is truly a gift from God. I am a Reformed Christian, a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and a lover of all history, philosophy, and theology. This is primarily the reason for my desire to start blogging. I will write blogs that are biblical and philosophical in nature, and sometimes maybe a goofy post about my daily activities, such as clipping my toe nails or taking selfies. The reason I chose "Reformed On An Island" as the title of my site is because in North Dakota (I know is not an island), a Reformed church, as well as Reformed Christians, is almost impossible to find. When I lived in Texas, I had many friends to converse with on all things theology, oftentimes into the early morning hours, but now that is so rare that my wife and I feel isolated from solid Christian fellowship. Who knows, maybe this blog will connect me with other like minded Christians in our area.
With that being said, I will begin posting many of my old writings and then current writings will follow. Please comment at will.
A little about me... I was born and raised in a little town called Rayne, LA (Cajun Country). I'm 31 years old. I joined the US Air Force right out of high school and have been serving ever since. I'm currently stationed in the frigid north, North Dakota that is, and I enjoy everything the beautiful state has to offer. I am married to the most wonderful woman on the planet, Cait, who consistently brings out the best in me and is truly a gift from God. I am a Reformed Christian, a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and a lover of all history, philosophy, and theology. This is primarily the reason for my desire to start blogging. I will write blogs that are biblical and philosophical in nature, and sometimes maybe a goofy post about my daily activities, such as clipping my toe nails or taking selfies. The reason I chose "Reformed On An Island" as the title of my site is because in North Dakota (I know is not an island), a Reformed church, as well as Reformed Christians, is almost impossible to find. When I lived in Texas, I had many friends to converse with on all things theology, oftentimes into the early morning hours, but now that is so rare that my wife and I feel isolated from solid Christian fellowship. Who knows, maybe this blog will connect me with other like minded Christians in our area.
With that being said, I will begin posting many of my old writings and then current writings will follow. Please comment at will.
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