Deleting

I am deleting my wordpress account.

If the law has not passed away, what then of grace?

Some will try and claim that Jesus’ saying that the Law has not passed away, and Paul’s pointing out that salvation is by grace through faith alone are contradictory. Are they contradicting each other? NO!

Striving to proclaim & defend biblical truth and yet NOT be a grade-A jerk in the process

We Christians are to proclaim truth boldly. This does not mean we be jerks in the process. This is something I have been growing in and am still continuing to grow in during this process of sanctification I think.

Temptation to dress up the gospel

John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I recall last summer, I prayed with Nolan about my roommates for this current school year I am in. We prayed that God’s will be done and that it may mean being paired with nonChristians, so be it that I may share the good news of Christ Jesus with them. Well, I am thankful Nolan encouraged me to pray God’s will be done… because that was his will, and it was done.

Neither of my two roommates happened to be believing Christians. One actually is a member of the Mormon Church, and he and I have recently had some interesting conversations/discussions about Christianity, the origin of the Scriptures, and the personage of Christ. I must remember to write a bit more in-depth about what happened there. Never the less, I did share the gospel with him, sharing the law and the free grace of God with him. This individual, William, is no longer my roommate, as he graduated yesterday. Please keep William in your prayers, that he would respond to the gospel call to repent and believe… not in the Mormon Jesus but in the true Triune God of the Bible (Mormons deny the Trinity, if you did not know. In doing so, they worship a false deity of their own making).

My other roommate, Zhu (pronounced “Jue”) is a bit more interesting. After noticing early on that just about every Sunday morning William and Kacey and I would head to our respective church services, Zhu stated he would be interested in going to church, because it was “the good thing to do.” I carefully explained to him Kacey and I did not attend church services to “do good” or to earn spiritual points. We go to worship God for who He is and what He’s done– for his mercy in choosing to seek and save the lost who are utterly unable to save themselves. It’s not about our spirituality being furthered or earing good points. It’s about worshiping YHWH alone. I shared the law and gospel with him as well, encouraging him to consider the things we’d talked about.

Yet when I’ve tried to speak with him about Christianity recently, his response is to shake his head with a smile on his face and say “No, no.” There is no … interest in the things of God. He once came back from his REL 100 (Intro to Religion) course after learning about Hinduism and their deities very enthused about what he had learned. “I think I like the gods of Hinduism much more than the God of Christianity! I mean, the gods of Hinduism have many arms, and look VERY COOL! Where as Jesus is just a man… and very boring!” is what he told me.

:-\ How do you respond to that? How do you respond to someone who is primarily interested in how COOL God looks or seems to him… how relevant He seems? How do you respond to someone who wants a religion that is pleasing to his eyes and his ears? Do you give him what he wants?

Do you scratch his “itching ears”? The Bible is clear: NO.

Now this seems to go against human wisdom. In advertising and other mediums, you learn to make things attractive so people buy into what you are selling. This is a commonly used tactic in the world… make things flashy, sexy, cool and people will buy into the product so they will seem flashy, sexy and cool.

However this is worldly wisdom… not the way God works.

There has been a lot of temptation to try and dress up the gospel. Take him to a church he would be amazed and wowed by the service. (As if the service is for HIS enjoyment and not for the worshiping of God) Try and suggest campus ministries that reach out to unsaved individuals by preaching “relevant” lessons. This seems like it would do some good from a worldly perspective in getting him saved! right? If you want to see how God saves men… see Romans 10:5-17. God uses preaching the Word of God… the truth of the gospel. Not marketing tactics, but the truth through boldly preaching. This will seem to be the foolish thing to do (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) from a perspective of the unregenerate world. But “the foolishness of god is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

We, as Christians, are not called to scratch the itching ears. We are called to preach the Word, in season and out of season. To preach the gospel of Christ and Him crucified. Not to wow and amaze by how cool or relevant we can seem. But to call all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.

Tempted as we may be to dress up the gospel in a way that seems relevant and / or hip to the world, we must remain obedient to God’s truth that is the Word. Preach the Word… when it is popular and unpopular to do so–in season AND out of season.

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Exceeding the Righteousness of the Pharisees

Matthew 5:20
[Jesus said,] ”For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

My name is Ryan.  And I am a law breaker.  Yes, I have broken God’s law.  I am a filthy wretch.  I am a liar, a hypocrite, and adulterer at heart… I am a murderer even.

Yes.  A murderer.  As recorded in Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus explained the sin of murder is not limited only to the actual act of slaying someone with a blade.  “Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”  Have you been angry with someone?  You are liable to judgment by Almighty God, who is free to judge you as though you HAD murdered someone.  “Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”  I can say, with confidence, I have insulted others.  My parents… my family… my close friends… my enemies.

Now, I COULD make a case that the use of “his brother” means these offenses are only applicable to the act of murder in God’s eyes, IF the offense is toward a FELLOW BELIEVER.  The term “brother” is often used in the New Testament to speak of fellow believers, so this could be extended to this passage (though of course in the ORIGINAL context, the “brothers” would be Jews… however, we Christians are grafted into the vine… so we are all BELIEVERS).  However, I find this irrelevant for 2 reasons:  1) later in the same sermon, Jesus says to love and to greet not only your brothers, but also your enemies (v. 47).  If you are murdering or insulting your neighbor, enemy or not, is that very loving?  Can you flick someone off in love?  I think not.  2) Even if this command is to be concerned ONLY with believers… OK!  So… have I been angry with a fellow believer?  Have I insulted a fellow Christian? YES… ok… so even so, I’ve STILL not kept that law… and I’m guilty as a murderer in God’s eyes, from his standard.

So under the Law, what is the standard to enter the kingdom of heaven?  What is the requirement we must keep, “so that [we] may be sons of [our] Father who is in heaven?” (v. 45)  The answer:  Our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.  Or… as Jesus restates in v. 48:  “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Under the law… the only thing that can save us is perfection.  Keeping the law PERFECTLY.  Time doesn’t blot out sin.  There is no statute of limitations when it comes to God’s perfect holy law.  If you want to get into Heaven, there’s is ONE thing you HAVE to do to get there:  BE PERFECT.  Problem:  I am not perfect.  I look at the mirror of the law, and I only see my own sin.  Any attempt of self-justification is futile.  No amount of convoluted reasoning can change the fact that I am a law breaker.  A transgressor against YHVH.  I sinner.  I sin because I am a sinner.  You sin because you are a sinner.

Left to my own, there is no possible way I would ever inherit the kingdom of heaven.  It’s impossible, I am stained by my sin.  And if you think you can earn your way into Heaven, you MUST be PERFECT.  But you know you are not perfect.  Like me, you are a law breaker.  A liar… a hypocrite… one who lusts… and a murderer.  Left up to yourself, you are screwed.  You WILL NOT get to Heaven.  It is IMPOSSIBLE for YOU to DO ANYTHING to make it so that YOU can get to Heaven.  I don’t care how much you cared for the orphan and the widow… I don’t care how much you gave… how much you read your Bible… how you only had sex within marriage… how you gave up porn… how you don’t drink underage… how often you took communion… or if you were baptized…  how often you pray… how you say you don’t watch filthy movies… the fact is IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!  YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!  If you think you are good enough, you are a LIAR… and right there alone you are disqualified from the inheritance.  Because guess what?  YOU ARE NOT PERFECT!  YOU ARE NOT RIGHTEOUS!  YOU WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON YOUR OWN BY YOUR WORKS!  I cannot stress this enough.

Nothing I do will make me good enough to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

I have noticed a growing confusion with the law and the gospel.  SO often people are presenting the law AS gospel.  I have encountered pastors saying that the gospel is all about LOVE–Love God, and Love Your Neighbor.  PROBLEM: I DO NOT LOVE GOD WITH ALL MY HEART!  If I did, I would not sin!  Same with my neighbor…if I REALLY loved my neighbor, I would not lust for her… I would not be guilty of murder against him or her by insult.  Did Jesus say, “On love does the gospel hinge?”  NO! On these things (love God, love neighbors) does the LAW hinge.  These 2 things are COMMANDS.  They are part of the LAW.  Loving God doesn’t save you… if it did, do you love God PERFECTLY?  Nope.  So you are disqualified.  The law cannot save you.  Or if it could, you MUST keep it perfectly.  If you don’t you are disqualified from working your way to the kingdom.

However… praise God… there is good news…

…to be continued…

Abortion, God, Man, and the Gospel of Christ’s Atonement

The following is a slightly-altered response I made to someone on Facebook… concerning the topics of abortion, sin, the nature of God, and man’s need for a Savior.  I hope it is a blessing to those who read it.

I have heard the desires to make exceptions when it comes to abortion for cases of rape or incest.  However, there is still a fundamental issue:  There is a living human being inside of the mother, with DNA and a heartbeat distinct from the mother’s own.  Is rape a horrible crime and sin?  YES.  However, I think it is just as much of a crime/sin to slaughter the unborn child that results.  Truth be told, pregnancies resulting from rape are less common than those resulting from Tom and Linda not being able to keep it in their pants.  I would say the child deserves to live either way.  Adoption is always an option.  the 9 month journey is difficult, but having the blood of the innocent on the mother’s hands is far worse. 

“What about if the mother’s life is in danger and the mother will die?”  Well, I do not say that is an abortion.  That is worded wrong.  When that is the case, we do EVERYTHING we can to save both lives… and if in the process of saving the life of the mother we lose the child, we mourn for that child.  Also, many would just LIE and say they were raped to get permission to kill their child.  So yes, I am very anti-abortion and I support a constitutional amendment to ban it nation-wide.  Will there be back-ally abortions?  perhaps.  I think though far fewer women would go through with abortions KNOWING the risks of back-alley abortions… look at the jump abortions took when Roe passed… suddenly women who wouldn’t risk a back-ally one were now getting them.  the numbers would, likewise, drop if it was suddenly made illegal.  “People will still get them anyway.”  Yes, maybe… but people will ALWAYS break the law… people will speed and always go 10 miles over the limit, so let’s not have a limit.  People will always go ahead anyway and do meth… so let’s make meth legal.  it’s not the best argumentation.  BTW… I believe women (and EVERYONE) have rights.  I do not support some groups having SPECIAL rights or higher-priority rights.  Which is why I believe the unborn have a right to live.

Now… on to the issue of sin…

Would “God create something he wasn’t proud of?”  Well, no.  In the beginning, he did not create anything he was unproud of.  Every day of creation God said two things: “Let there be,” and “It is good.”  However, this was only in creating paradise for humanity to originally dwell in. There was no sin… no fall of man at this point.  There was no rape… there was no theft… there was no homosexuality… there was no murder.  There essentially was no creation of evil or sin.  Prior to man’s disobedience, it would seem he was not inclined to sin (I hesitate to say MORE about Adam’s nature prior to the fall… as Scripture is rather silent on this issue).  However since the fall, since man’s sin, his nature has been tainted since.  Man is not created basically good or neutral (as it could be argued Adam and Eve were)… but rather we are all born as sinful creatures… spiritually dead, as the Bible describes us (Eph 2:1-3, Col 2:13)… unable to do what is good.  We are, within us, plain bad (Gen 6:6:5-6, Gen 8:21, Psalm 51:5).

WAIT?  Am I saying something was created that was not created by God?  Not really.  Evil or sin is not a THING.  It isn’t really an object.  For more on this question “Did God create evil” I would direct you to a short article here: http://www.gotquestions.org/did-God-create-evil.html

What of us being made in the image of God? 

I would direct you to http://voxpopnetwork.com/vision/2008/04/20/image-god-loves/#more-64  It is a bit longer than the other link I sent, but it goes into the question of “What does it mean to be made in the image of God.”  It doesn’t mean we look physically like God.  Or that we are sinless in our current state.  What does it mean?  BRIEFLY…    

* Moral likenesses – decision-making power, dominion over lower creation, social ability, emotions, communication, etc.
* Non-moral likenesses – intellect/reason, immortal, spirit, ability to create, etc.

We have a moral likeness… we can make decisions, we have a conscience God gave us to understand basic ideas of right and wrong… we show love for others, etc.  Again, there are other ways, but it does not mean we never sin.  Remember, we are inclined to sin because of our human nature.  I would think it may be correct (don’t quote me on this) to say that while we are still in the image of God, that image has been stained up a bit by sin.

This brings me to something you said earlier:  “God created you, and you’re good.”  You think I am good?  lol  either 1) you don’t know me that well or 2) your standards of “good” are less than stellar and accurate (no offense). 

I used to think I was good, really.  Then I saw what it meant to be good.  And I am NOT a good person.  And I’m guessing, if you are anything like every human being, you aren’t doing so hot either. If we look at what it means to be good by God’s standards… I fall terribly short.  (I would encourage you to also examine yourself likewise in this exercise.)  Have I ever told a lie?  Heck yes.  Many times.  What do you call someone who lies?– a liar.  Have I ever stolen anything?  Yes.  Someone who steals things is called… a thief.  I’ve taken God’s name and used it as a cuss word… that’s blaspheme.  I’ve looked at someone with lust… in Matthew 5, God labels that as having committed adultery of the heart.  I’ve only gone through what… 4 of the 10 laws … and I’ve broken all of them.  I am not a good person.  I’m a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart.  I’m a law breaker.  On the day of judgment, I would not be found innocent, I’d be found guilty.  I have broken the laws, and deserve to be punished and sent where law-breakers go:  Hell.  I utterly deserve Hell, because I sin against a Holy God. 

But the good news is this:  2,000 years ago God became a man–Jesus Christ, and provided himself as an atonement for the sin of man.  Jesus was the blood sacrifice that was needed to pay the penalty for sin.  God could not just look at me and simply say “You are forgiven, you are free to go to Heaven.”  This would not be just.  Imagine an earthly judge saying that to a man who raped and murdered a 10 year old girl… would that judge be a just judge?  no, he’d be corrupt!  Law breakers need to pay for the crimes they commit.  this is justice.  someone has to pay the debt our crimes against God demand– and Jesus Christ alone is that sufficient sacrifice.  He paid the debt so man need not pay the debt in Hell.  An eternity in Hell may SEEM to be unfair to us for sins committed in this finite life… but believe me, it only SEEMS that way.  It seems that way because we do not, in our sinful state, have the ability to comprehend how HOLY God is, and how HORRIBLE and wretched sin is. 

This work Christ paid on the cross to atone for sin is freely offered to ALL who repent–that is, turn from sin, and believe the good news of Christ, placing their trust/faith in his saving work.  Not mental agreement that Jesus died, but placing trust in the finished work of Christ.  If you jump out of a plane, you do not simply acknowledge the parachute exists… you place your trust in it and put it on.  Likewise, anyone who turns from their life of sin and “puts on”  the  work accomplished by Christ Jesus in his death and resurrection is “Born Again” (Jn 3:3). 

Also, it is of utter importance that Christ is the only way, truth and life.  no one comes to the Father but through Him (Jn 14:6).  There are not many paths… there is only one, paved by the blood of Christ, which covers sin and takes it away.

You may say you do not believe in a wrathful God.  However, God is a God of Wrath– Psalm 5:5, Rom 1:18, Rom 5:9, Eph 2:3.  He is a JUST God, and he must punish evildoers, otherwise he would not be just.  At the same time, God is a God of mercy, providing salvation through the finished work of Christ to all who will receive it.  This idea that is so prevalent in American Post-modern Christianity that “Jesus loves you JUST the way you are” is really wrong.  Does God love us?  Yes.  But it isn’t some pampering, God-will-wipe-our-butts-for-us-and-he-can’t-get-enough-of-us kind of love.  It is a perfecting love… a love that brings about the salvation of man, desiring man to be in right relationship with Him.  God is a God of Wrath.  And of Justice.  And of Mercy.  These are not contradictory, and are all attributes of God.  To cling to the Bible verse that says “God is love” while rejecting ALL other verses about the nature and attributes of the Holy God is irresponsible.  How is it we’d cling to the part about “love” but nothing else?

God has a common love and common grace for creation.  He gives us our breath, food to eat, water to drink, a place to lay our heads, etc.  He was responsible for you not getting hit by a bus today just before you logged into Facebook.  However, his specific love and mercies are only for those who repent and believe in the Savior’s work.
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I would say this though in closing:  have there been wars fought in the name of Christianity?  YES.  Have there been scandals by some men and women who claim to be His followers?  Yes.  This is a sad fact.  However, if some random person came up to me and kicked me in the gonads… and I asked WHY DID YOU DO THAT???  and they responded “because I love and obey [you, the reader]!”, EVEN THOUGH you do NOT know them at all, do not have a relationship with them, and they do not know anything about who you are…  Would it then be fair for me to say “I HATE [you, the reader]!”?  Surely not.  Likewise… don’t be quick to make a judgment on Jesus based upon the actions of some who CLAIM to be his followers.  Just a final thought.  Hope you made it to the end.  if you did, you get a prize.  This half-empty red pen i am looking at on my desk.  YAY! 

I hope your fall break is a safe one.   Thank you for indulging me in (hopefully) reading this.

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On God’s Sovereignty… (Categorized List)

The following… I would LOVE to say I came up with.  But alas, I did not.  It was compiled by another individual and made public on CalvinistCorner.com.  I hope to someday do an in-depth blog about the issue MYSELF… but right now, I am posting this more as… a resource… to others AND myself… on God’s sovereignty. 

From where I stand… the issue of Calvinism boils down to this question:  Is God sovereign, or is man?  If God is sovereign… is he not also sovereign in the salvation of man?  If man, not God, is the final determiner in salvation… then man’s “free will” has been made sovereign over God’s divine sovereign will.  Because in the Arminian view, if God wants man to be saved… but the man decides … “nah, I don’t want that”… then … will the person be saved?  Not from the Arminian mind-set.  Because after all, that view leads to a God who is unable to save unto himself a people he purchased on the cross of His own will… God must ask permission of the man to save him.  The potter asking the clay if it is okay to form him into a pot.  Unthinkable.

Again, here is the list…  I hope it proves useful to all who read.

 

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

1. God’s Sovereignty -
   1. God’s ability to do and accomplish His will -
      – God does whatever He pleases.
      1. Gen. 18:14, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
      2. Psalm 115:3, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.“
      3. Psalm 135:6, “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.”
      4. Isaiah 46:10, “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;”
      5. Jer. 32:27, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”
      6. Dan. 4:35, “And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What hast Thou done?’”
      7. Matt. 19:26, “And looking upon them Jesus said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
      8. Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
   2. Chance occurrence -
      1. Prov. 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
   3. Natural realm – sun, rain, birds, grass, hair. -
      1. Matt. 5:45, “in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
      2. Matt. 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”
      3. Matt. 6:30, “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?”
      4. Matt. 10:29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”
      5. Matt. 10:30, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
   4. Human History – nations, times, boundaries, people, -
      1. Acts 17:26, “and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation,”
      2. Psalm 47:1-4, “O Clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy. ²For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth. ³He subdues peoples under us, and nations under our feet. ⁴Hchooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves.”
      3. Psalm 33:10, “The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”
   5. Human Birth – God grants offspring and descendents -
      1. Gen. 4:25, “And Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him.”
      2. Deut. 10:22, “Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
      3. Ruth 4:13, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.”
   6. Human plans and accidents. -
      1. Exodus 21:12, “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. ¹³“But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.”
      2. James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”
   7. Good and ill from God -
      1. Lam. 3:37-38, “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? ³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?”
   8. Health and prosperity -
      1. Exodus 4:11, “And the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
      2. Deut. 32:39, “See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal; And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”
      3. 1 Sam. 2:6-7, “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. ⁷The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.”
      4. Ecc. 7:13-17, “Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? ¹⁴In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other So that man may not discover anything that will be after him.”
      5. Isaiah 45:5-7, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; ⁶That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, ⁷The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.”
      6. Lam. 3:37-38, “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? ³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?”
      7. Amos 3:6-7, “If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?”
2. What God desires; What God arranges -
   1. What God desires
      1. 1 Tim. 2:3-4, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,”
      2. 2 Pet. 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
      3. Luke 14:23, “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
      4. Heb. 3:7, “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, ⁸Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness.”
   2. What God arranges
      1. Rom. 11:8, “just as it is written, ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day.’”
      2. Mark 4:11-12, “And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, ¹²in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven.”
      3. 2 Thess. 2:11, “And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false.”
      4. Rom. 9:18, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
      5. Exodus 4:21, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”
         1. See also Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:1; 11:10; 14:4 where God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.
         2. Exodus 8:32, “But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.”
      6. Exodus 14:17, “And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
      7. Deut. 2:30, “But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today.”
      8. 2 Chron. 25:20, “But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.”
      9. Isaiah 6:10, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”
      10. Rom. 9:18, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
3. Human nature- Total Depravity -
   1. Jer. 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
   2. Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²²deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. ²³“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
   3. John 3:19, “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.”
   4. John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”
   5. Rom. 3:10-12, “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; ¹¹There is none who understands.  There is none who seeks for God; ¹²All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
   6. Rom. 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”
   7. Rom. 6:20, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”
   8. Rom. 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
   9. Rom. 7:23, “but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.”
   10. 1 Cor. 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
       1. 1 Cor. 2:1-5, Paul did not come by the power of human wisdom, but the power of the Holy Spirit.
       2. 1 Cor. 2:6-9, Paul speaks God’s wisdom which the world does not understand.
       3. 1 Cor. 2:10, The Spirit of God reveals the sacred and spiritual things of God.
       4. 1 Cor. 2:11-12, Christians have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God, which is why the Christians know the things freely given from God. 
       5. 1 Cor. 2:13-14, “which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. ¹⁴But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
          1. Therefore, 1 Cor. 2:14 is not saying that the natural man, the unregenerate person, cannot understand God’s wisdom, it is also saying that they cannot understand because they do not have the Spirit of God.  This means that the unsaved cannot understand spiritual things because they do not have the Spirit of God.
   11. Eph. 2:1, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”
   12. Eph. 2:3, “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
       1. In this verse “nature” is the Greek phusei.  It is the dative case (indirect object).  This means that the text is not saying that we are by nature children of wrath because we sin.  It is saying that we are by nature children of wrath.
   13. 1 Tim. 1:9, “Realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers.”
4. Human freedom –
      — Libertarian freedom is the freedom to be able to equally choose good and bad in any given situation.
      — Compatibilist freedom is the freedom to act in accordance with our nature.
   1. Deut. 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.”
   2. Josh. 24:15, “And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
5. God grants and works salvation in us -
   1. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
      1. Being born again occurs not by the will of man, but of God.
   2. Acts 13:48, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
   3. Eph. 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”
   4. Eph. 1:11, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
      1. Predestine is the Greek proorizo, it means…
         1. “to predetermine, decide beforehand; in the NT of God decreeing from eternity; to foreordain, appoint beforehand” (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995).
         2. “to destine or decree beforehand; foreordain,” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1986, p. 1121)
         3. “To predetermine or foreordain; to appoint or ordain beforehand by an unchangeable purpose,” (Webster’s Dictionary, 1828.)
   5. Phil. 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
   6. 1 Thess. 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
      1. “destined” is the Greek word “tithemei.”  It means, “to set, put, place; to make; to set, fix establish” (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995).
   7. 2 Thess. 2:13-14, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
   8. John 10:25-26, “Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. ²⁶“But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. ²⁷“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
      1. John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
   9. John 6:44, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
   10. John 6:65, “And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
       1. If no one can come to God without the Father granting it to him, then the person is powerless to come to God of his own free will.
   11. Acts 16:14, “And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”
   12. Rom. 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.“
   13. 1 Pet. 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
   14. James 1:18, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.”
6. God Predestines -
   1. Predestination
      1. Greek Proorizo, Strongs # 4309.  “to predetermine, decide beforehand; in the NT of God decreeing from eternity, to foreordain, appoint beforehand.”
      2. Proorizo, “which the NT uses only with God as subject, expresses the thought of appointing a situation for a person, or a person for a situation.” (The New Bible Dictionary, Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1962.)
      3. Predestinate, “To predetermine or foreordain; to appoint or ordain beforehand by an unchangeable purpose,” (Websters Dictionary, 1828 edition.)
      4. Predestine, “To destine or decree beforehand; foreordain,” (Websters New World Dictionary, 1986 edition).
   2. Acts 4:27-28, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur.”
   3. Rom. 8:29-30, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; ³⁰and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
   4. 1 Cor. 2:6-7,  “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; ⁷but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory.”
   5. Eph. 1:4-5, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love ⁵He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”
   6. Eph. 1:11, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
7. God elects individuals -
   1. election is the Greek “eklektos.”  It is rendered as “elect” and “chosen.”  Strongs #1588.
   2. Matt. 22:14, “for many are called [kletos], but few are chosen [eklektos].”
      1. Kletos, “called, invited.”
   3. Matt. 22:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect [eklektos].”
   4. Matt. 22:31, “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect [eklektos] from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
   5. Luke 18:7, “now shall not God bring about justice for His elect [eklektos], who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”
   6. Rom. 8:33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect [eklektos]? God is the one who justifies;”
   7. Romans 16:13, “Greet Rufus, a choice [eklektos] man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.”
   8. Col. 3:12, “And so, as those who have been chosen [eklektos] of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”
   9. 1 Tim. 5:21, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen [eklektos] angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”
   10. 2 John 1, “The elder to the chosen [eklektos] lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,”
   11. 3 John 13, “The children of your chosen [eklektos] sister greet you.”
8. God’s sovereignty over people’s hearts and lives
   1. God hardens people’s hearts –
      1. Exodus 4:21, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”
         1. See also Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:1; 11:10; 14:4 where God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.
         2. Exodus 8:32, “But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.”
      2. Exodus 14:17, “And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
      3. Deut. 2:30, “But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today.”
      4. 2 Chron. 25:20, “But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.”
      5. Isaiah 6:10, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”
      6. Rom. 9:18, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
   2. God softens peoples’ hearts -
      1. Deut. 29:4, “Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.”
      2. Jer. 24:7, “‘And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”
   3. The Lord directs people’s paths -
      1. Jer. 10:23, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.”
      2. Prov. 16:9, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
      3. Gen. 45:8, “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” – (Joseph in Egypt – His brothers, therefore, were not free to kill Joseph)
      4. Isaiah 44:28, “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! and he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
      5. 1 Sam. 10:9, “Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.”
      6. Prov. 21:1, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever He wishes.”
      7. Psalm 105:24-251, “And He caused His people to be very fruitful, and made them stronger than their adversaries. ²⁵He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants.
      8. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
      9. Dan. 1:9, “Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.”
      10. Rev. 17:17, “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled.”
   4. Does God affect human choices? -
      1. 1 Pet. 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
9. Other -
   1. Miscellaneous Verses
      1. Prov. 16:4, “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.”
      2. Rom. 9:22-23, “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? ²³And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.”
   2. God Foreknows -
      1. Proginosko, 
      2. Acts 2:38, “this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
      3. 1 Pet. 1:1-2, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen ²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.”
      4. 1 Pet. 1:20, “For He [Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.”
         1. KJV says, “Who verily was foreordained before the …. “
         2. If God looked into the future to see what choice would be made, then who did He foreknow the death of Christ?  Was it simply something that God looked to see if it would happen or not?  If so, then God is not sovereign.
   3. If God predestines us because he looks into the future to see if we will believe, then… -
      1. Then isn’t He predestining us because He is seeing in us something that is motivating Him to save us?  If our faith motivates God to save us, then it must have some merit in God’s eyes, otherwise it would not motivate God to save us.”
      2. Then God is looking into the future in order to learn.  This would violate His attribute of omniscience.  In other words, if God is looking into the future to see our choices, then this means God is constrained by time (otherwise He would not have to look into the future).  The truth is that God is omniscient and knows all things all the time.  He does not have to look anywhere, anytime to discover anything.  To say that He looks into the future to see who would pick Him and then He predestines them is to say that God essentially is learning and adapting to the knowledge He gains in His future looking.
   4. Questions -
      1. Is God’s will thwarted by human free will?
      2. Is God’s will limited by human free will?
      3. Can God fail at anything He intends to do?
         1. “God does not intend to bring about everything He values, but he never fails to bring about what He intends.” (John Frame)
      4. Is the human will somehow independent of all other influences so as to be truly free?
      5. Is the human will somehow independent of human motivations?
      6. If God does not influence a person’s will, so as to allow him total freedom of will, then how is it that God draws the person?  In other words, the drawing of a person is an influence upon the will.
      7. Does the human will have the ability to overcome various influences so as to make a neutral, objective decision?
      8. If God foreknows what someone will do in the future, is that person then free to change his mind or not?
      9. Is the “free-willer” using the doctrine of complete freedom of will as a paradigm into which God’s character and actions must fit?
   5. Logic -
      1. God creates the person, the will of the person, and the body of the person since God is the one who forms us in the womb (Isaiah 44:2,24; Ecc. 11:5), etc.
      2. Since God knows all things, a person’s free will is not outside God’s knowledge.
      3. God puts that person in a particular place and time.

Proginosko (foreknowledge)… not fortune telling

Romans 8:28-30 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This is an issue that seems to come up fairly frequently in my discussions of the Doctrines of Grace (Calvinism): What exactly does “foreknowledge” mean?  The Arminian and the Calvinist have very different understandings on what this word proginosko (“to foreknow”) means.  The Arminian tradition sees this word as simply meaning foresight… their version of this “golden chain” is that God first looks down the tunnel of history to see what you are going to do… and if you of your own will choose HIM, then guess what– He’ll choose you!!  **eye roll**

The problem is… on what basis was the unregenerate sinner able to resurrect himself and choose God in the FIRST place?  How was he able to?  If man actually is, as scripture says in Eph 2:1, spiritually dead… he cannot bring himself to choose God on his own free will, because that will is corrupt.

Rather, proginosko is dealing with not foresight or fortune telling of what people are going to DO… It describes God’s intimate relationship he has with those He has chosen to be his elect.  The Bible often speaks of “knowing” someone not only in a cognitive sense but in an intimate sense… even sexually, to describe the degree of intimacy.

The following quote is adapted from a YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQENcj_kRcg and is available between 13:50 and 18:02.  I have simplified it to be more of a commentary on ALL the Arminians who argue the particular argument, rather than just the one individual Dr. White was speaking of.  It is far more eloquent than I could hope to be on the subject…

“When the passage (Romans 8:29) says “God foreknew“… the Arminian thinks that means that God, in essence, looked down the corridors of time and saw what we were going to do in advance before we do it.  This is an incorrect assumption on the part of the Arminian.  First of all, you will notice that “proginosko” is a verb.  And yet the Arminian will consistently switch it with the noun form.  Now that is not something you can do, especially when the person doing the action, that is the subject of the verb, and the object of the verb come into play.  What do I mean?  Well, when God foreknows, if the Arminian interpretation is correct, when God foreknows, he would know actions, he would know what someone is doing.  The Arminian may not even point out that it IS a verb, he just says “God has foreknowledge”… but that’s not what the passage says.  It says “he foreknows.”  In fact each one of the verbs: “to foreknow,” “to call,” “to predestine,” “to justify” “to glorify”–these are all active verbs.  These are active things that God does.  And there are objects; that is, God is doing this to someone.  The problem is, the Arminian view interprets this verb to mean that God foreknows ACTIONS.  And yet never when proginosko is used with God as the subject are actions the object of the verb.  It isn’t that God knows WHAT we do, but rather, God knows US.

“This isn’t talking about having mere static knowledge of future events.  This is not what proginosko means.  This is something God does; the object is not actions, it’s people.  God has “fore-loved.”  He has beforehand been fond of these individuals.  God has chosen to enter into relationship with these individuals, and as a result he initiates their salvation, and their salvation is all of God.  His decree of predestination of them unto conformity to the image of Christ is based upon this eternal love that he has set upon them, and the “Golden Chain of Redemption” (Romans 8:29-30) is a very consistent chain that, from beginning to end, has the exact same objects all the way through.”
–Dr. James White, director of Alpha and Omega Ministries

Does John 3:16 Refute Calvinism? NO!

I actually was going to write a long lengthy blog on this … and I may still eventually… but it basically would be this lecture I got a hold of a while ago.

It is a WONDERFUL lecture on John 3:16… there is NO concept of “whosoever will believe in him” in the Greek! Nor is there a notion that God loves the world SO MUCH that he gave. Blah! America’s Pop Church is pretty lame.

The video is long, I know. but it is so useful for learning what the Bible says from its original language in its own context.

Random thoughts on Titus (pt 3)

I thought I may try something out that I’ve seen on some other blog sites with regard to films… they will watch a film and make comments on that film while watching on a blog and post that.  So I thought I’d try the same thing with Titus, the book I read tonight for my time with God.  This may be disastrous… but it may be FUN TOO!  lol.

If you would like to follow along, I will list the verse I am commenting on… but it is best to have a Bible in front of you or opened in a new tab in Firefox (and I know ALL my readers use Firefox… you had better!)… I’ll be using the English Standard Version (ESV)… the favorite of Mark Driscoll and John Piper, as well as my favorite English translation.

This is my third and concluding entry on Titus.  I would encourage you to check out the postings on Titus 1 and Titus 2.  I hope this little series has been a blessing to you. Now… on to Titus 3!

3:1 — Yes, that means you should obey traffic laws and NOT mouth off to police officers.  I don’t care, friend, how rude or immoral they are.  You are still charged to be submissive to the rulers and authorities.

3:2 — Ugh… more thing about avoiding quarreling and commands to be gentle and courteous!  ::sigh::  Something tells me I will keep running into these exhortations such as these until I get it right.  I desire everyone to grow in holiness… but I wrongfully think that if they aren’t where I am in the process by NOW… something is wrong with THEM!  Who made me the standard of which to judge a believer?  Is that not what we have the Holy Bible for?  It is.  I am not the judge… the Word is.  “Courtesy toward all people.”  That means everyone… fellow believer or an unregenerate hater of God… .like the “Pastafarians.”

3:3 — A very good description of the unregenerate man.  I know I was all of these things… “foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions,” and so forth.  This is EVERY man prior to regeneration.  Man is NOT “basically good at heart” as Anne Frank claimed.

3:4-5 — Everyone was a slave to various passions… UNTIL GOD SAVED US ACCORDING TO HIS OWN MERCY!  There it is!  Regeneration.  You were spiritually dead once and then Christ saved you… NOT because of anything you have done; not because of any works or piousness or sacramental system.  So why then?  Because of HIS OWN MERCY.  Basically, because he felt like it!  He, showing his goodness and loving kindness, gives regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit  to those he wishes.  You can’t earn it.  He elects because he wishes to.

3:6 – Salvation is through JESUS CHRIST ALONE.  He is the only Savior this world will ever know.  Buddha cannot save.  Shiva cannot save.  Allah cannot save.  Atheism cannot save.  If you are slaves to any of these worldviews, I pray you repent and put your trust for salvation in Christ alone.

3:7 – Who are the heirs?  Christians.  Because of our sin, we need atonement.  We cannot earn it.  But we are justified through the work Christ did on the cross.  Not through his institution of the Lord’s Supper.  Not through some kind of physical sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ every week on some alter in a Catholic church.  But only by his gracious work accomplished on the cross of Calvary.

3:8 — Good works do not save you.  However the good works are a fruit of the genuine believer.  If there is NO fruit, perhaps the person was never truly born again.  Good works naturally spring forth from the new life.

3:9 — At times I wonder what constitute “foolish controversies,” and if election fits into the list given here.  However, recognizing God as sovereign and man as sinful is VERY profitable and necessary.  In some respects, the very gospel hinges on our understanding of the nature of both God and man.  So the answer is: NO.  Not on something so clearly taught in scripture.  Besides, such a thing does not fit into the context.  The false teacher is the guilty one spoken of who brings contentiousness.  They quarrel about the law of Moses– imposing it on the Gentile as a necessary component of salvation. (A little help was gathered from the REFORMATION STUDY BIBLE)

3:10 — If a person stirs up trouble in a group on something that is contrary to scripture, bring it to his attention.  Give him SOME slack, as he may just not know what the deal is and how his teachings fall from the truth.  If he continues however, stop him.  Otherwise, this is how false doctrine spreads.  Pastors… shepherds… watch out for your flock.  PLEASE!  We (especially in America) are so easily led astray by anyone who seems to be preaching the new book on how to have a best life now so we can find our own purpose.  Help guard us from such false teachings.  And certainly do not support such teachings.

3:14 — While good works DO spring forth naturally from the Christian… sometimes it is a good reminder to keep with the fruit.  It is tempting to become lazy at times.  The desire for works comes with regeneration… yet it is also a learning process in sanctification.

Again, I hope this little series has been a blessing to you.  I have found this an interesting exercise personally.  I look forward to doing it with other passages in Scripture in the future.

-Ryan