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!

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…

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

Random thoughts on Titus (pt 2)

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. In a previous post I blogged on Titus 1. Now, on to Titus 2!…

2:1 — SOUND DOCTRINE?! I would venture to say the majority of teachers/preachers have NO idea what this is. Spiritual discernment is at an incredible LOW in our world today. Why else are books by Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Rob Bell, and Rick Warren on the best sellers lists in “Christian Bookstores”? How is it that a Christian can claim to follow Christ and yet submit to the New Age cultish teachings of the Oprah, thinking somehow that they are able to coexist together? And what of entire denominations teaching that homosexuality is perfectly acceptable in God’s eyes… that “global climate change” is of more importance than a pre-born child’s life… that man’s free will is higher than that of God’s…? The “Church” today does NOT have nearly a high enough view of God or the Holy Bible… and has a FAR too high view of man.

For more on The Church of Oprah…

2:2 — For anyone who claims that it is acceptable for Christians to use any mind-altering drugs, even if it were legal… check this out! We should be SOBER-MINDED! Not high… not blacking out… but always in control of our bodies and our thoughts. SO how exactly does a yoga-inducing trance or using centering prayer to get to a higher spiritual plane work into all this? HINT: IT DOESN’T!

2:3-5 – There IS a role of the woman in a family unit. Not the ONLY role of the woman… but a role separate and distinct from the role of the man. A place in the home. Not that a woman CAN’T have a job outside of the home. Because she can. However, I think scripture is clear that the home should be primary… any sort of extra carreer should be secondary. There should be a training of younger women by older women to love husbands and their children. Furthermore… before Christ, man and women are equal. However, one cannot escape such phrases as “submissive to their own husbands.” This is NOT some man is superior to the woman. This is in the structure of the family unit that GOD created, there is an order of authority. In a military unit, does the Private have less value as a HUMAN BEING than a Captain? No. Before God, both are equally men in need of a Savior. However, when there is an order given, who submits to whom? Private submits to Captain. It is not a placing of higher value on the husband than the wife. I like how Voddie Bacham puts it: “When you have something with two heads, you have to either 1) KILL IT! or 2) Put it behind some glass and STARE at it!” So it is with marriage and the household.

2:6 — Young men… be self controlled. I don’t care what the world is doing… saying porn is okay, or getting drunk is just part of high school or college… Be self controlled. I don’t care how angry your wife or girlfriend makes you… or how pissed you get at your family at times… HAVE SELF CONTROL! (Trust me… I am saying this to ME as much as I am to any and all who read this… I get very hot-headed at times)

2:7-8 — Be an example for others. Even in speech… something I have been slipping at on occasion. Be a model of holiness for others. You can’t be perfect on your own accord… but still be a model in all you do, let that be your goal. And strive for it.

2:9 — As a slave for Christ, do I sometimes argue with him? Slaves are, as stated by Paul here, to be submissive and not to be argumentative with their master. I will sometimes, when I sin, scoff at God’s law. I will have the mindset that God doesn’t know what he’s talking about… that I know a better way. Even when scripture is CLEAR to not lust, or to be sober-minded, or to submit to higher authorities… I rebel, I argue, and I do not submit. Blah. Even now, the Holy Spirit likes to use the Bible to convict of sin. It isn’t always a fun process examining yourself against the Word… but it is worth it in the growth of sanctification.

2:11 — For the Arminian who looks at this and says that salvation is for EVERYONE… if you take THAT “literal” interpretation of this verse, then you would have to be a UNIVERSALIST… and claim that if salvation is truly brought to ALL PEOPLE… then EVERYONE is SAVED and none are in HELL/ the Lake of Fire. Still, from other passages (Mt 7:13-14, Jn 14:6, Rev 21:8, etc) we KNOW this to not be true. NOT EVERYONE will be saved from eternal damnation. I’ve said this before and I’ll type it here: The ONLY consistent Arminian is the Universalist. Because if Jesus really died for EVERYONE… then Jesus was the atonement for EVERYONE’S sin… then EVERYONE would have their sin atonemed for, and they would no longer be in their sin… and have NO reason to have to go to Hell… so it is Universalism. And what is Universalism? I’ll take HERESY for 500, Alex! But no… “all people’ instead refers to all kinda of people… Blacks, whites, Asians, Slavs, Hispanic, Indian, American Indian, etc. For more on this, check out Revelation 5:9-10

2:12 — Renounce ungodliness nad worldly passions… live self-controlled. Does this SAVE us? No. Does it add to salvation? NO! We are saved by grace through FAITH ALONE. Period. It is entirely of God. These works though are an out flowing of the person who has been born again, that work toward being conformed to the likeness of Christ.

2:13 — As Christians, you can be sure that Christ will keep you in his fold… that he will keep you and you WILL persevere to the end and one day (either in Heaven or on Earth for his second coming) see Christ in all his glory.

2:14 — Christ redeems us– the Church for lawlessness. We are no longer slaves to sin, but to Christ. And the ongoing process of sanctification is that which purifies us (though we are already redeemed before sanctification happens). The Church is his people and his people will, because they have been elected by Christ, show a desire for good works. Not an “oh I have to do this or else I’m not saved!” but an “I do this because I am saved and I wish to be more like Christ!”

2:15 — Commands to both exhort and rebuke with authority. Wow. And I thought the modern church should only EXHORT these days… ’cause it is just “mean” to rebuke ANYONE… ::rolls eyes::

Titus 3 coming soon…

-Ryan

Random thoughts on Titus (pt 1)

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.

Here we a go…..

1:1 — Oh… look at the purpose for which the book was written: for “the faith of GOD’S ELECT”! HA! Take that you Arminians / anti-Calvinists. That type of address is not unique to Titus either… check out 1 Peter, 2 John, Jude, Romans… and the other letters were mostly written to THE CHURCH… Christians… those who are saved.
— On another note… this verse also mentions that this letter is for Christians to in “their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.” Truth matters. Theology and doctrine DO matter. This is a fact sadly ignored by many who proclaim themselves as Christian… they often prefer to just give everyone a big hug as long as they think Jesus is cool… despite various heresies that can still run ramped with such a claim (JW, Mormonism, Oneness, etc).

1:2 — the reminder that God’s promises are sure… that those who repent and put their trust in the savior ARE assured of salvation, they WILL be kept “in the fold” so to speak, because this hope of eternal life has been promised by God… and God is a God of truth… he cannot lie.

1:7-9 — I am more than a bit convicted right now reading the qualifications for a bishop…. and how I fall short in more than one area. I often deal with being quick-tempered, and greatly need to improve in the areas of self-control and discipline. I am not quick enough to try and give people the benefit of the doubt, and often fly off the handle easily… especially at Kacey. And in reference to the self-control… this appears in different areas… dealing with sin for one. Also though, in more general areas that show I don’t have the best fruit when it comes to control. Example? I often over-eat. I eat really fast and I eat too much, causing myself to feel bloated and generally sick. This happens ESPECIALLY when it comes to PIZZA… I pack it away and then I am sorry I do. I would say “I can’t help myself,” but that is a lie. I can… I just often do not exercise the self control I should.

1:9 — A bishop/overseer must give sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict it?! Wow. Honestly until now, I had NO idea this verse was even in the Bible! How much it is needed for the heresies that plague the Church today. Not only to teach good doctrine is the command… but to rebuke those who contradict it, spreading false doctrine. This is practically never done today… for if you do, you are labeled as someone who is just causing trouble. We can’t interrupt the status quo… how DARE us notice and point out heresy that happens to be on the best sellers list of the local Family Christian store… or on the Top 20 list of Christian Rock. ::sigh:: the state of the American Church is growing worse guys… pray for her.

1:10-11 — those who cause trouble from a BIBLICAL standpoint… that is, they teach false teachings and deceive believers… they must be SILENCED. I wonder if the Church had done this in the past few hundred years, what would the state of various errors / heresies be… what about Mormons? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Oneness Pentecostals? Emergent Church? Seeker-Sensitivity? If the Church had lovingly silenced the heretical teachings of these groups before they spread alongside of Christianity, would they even be as alive today?

1:15 — This verse, I find, is overused and even to excuse sin to some degree… the person will claim they see an action as pure when it truthfully is not. However I guess this has to do with the eating of certain foods… you CAN’T use this as an excuse to look at blatant porn or something of that nature.

1:16 — Many claim Christ, but this does NOT mean they are genuinely saved. What is a way to tell? Fruit. Their works. Are they growing in holiness? Can WE say definitively whether or not the person IS saved, just by works? No. Fruit IS evidence to be sure. However I know I do not produce the best fruit 24/7 and do sin from time to time. Not continuously as the unbeliever, but I do stumble. If someone gauged me from my fruit, the outcome would not be perfect. Far from it. So can we look at fruit? Yes. Just because someone sins and has some bad fruit does NOT mean he is not saved. But if ALL the fruit is rotten, the person needs to be approached by a fellow believer so that he may offer repentance from that sin.

Wow… This is going to take a bit longer than I thought. But maybe doing this in increments is best… you are more likely to actually READ it if it is shorter. Anyway, I will continue this soon.

-Ryan

Do we have "gods in us"? Or are we totally depraved?

So I am sitting at work this morning, and decide to surf on into a Christian group on MySpace I am a member of. In the usually inactive forum, I see this message left by an apparent member:

I’ve heard so many people say that they feel far from God, or that they can’t feel his presence, or that they can’t connect with God, or that …

If you are struggling in this area and you want to know HOW to find God in you, please go to my blog.

What is this “Finding God in you…” nonsense?!

DO we have a god in us? Answer: NO WAY.

Let’s look at what the Holy Bible says about the nature of man:

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” –Genesis 6:5

“And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ’I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth’.” –Genesis 8:21

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” –Jeremiah 17:9

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” –Romans 3:10-18

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.” –John 3:19

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” –Romans 1:18

We do not have God in us. There is no “god in you, ” no matter what Oprah says. We have ONE GOD– the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The Triune God– Father, Son, Holy Spirit (The Trinity– three yet one). There is no god in us. the only thing that is in us by nature… is evil. man is, by nature, a WRETCH, a God-hater, and a lover of his sin.

There is nothing good within man. Read the Bible. In my reply (basically what I wrote here), I urged her to repent from spreading this heresy and from her sin. I really hope she ceases from trying to lead God’s children astray. It won’t go well for her if she continues to spread heresy among God’s people.

She, on her blog, SEEMED to be writing of Christians who have the Holy Spirit in them. Now… ARE CHRISTIANS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT? YES. Still, the basic outline of everything she wrote was just very… Oprah-ish. Very contemplative sounding.

So how DO Christians get closer to God? Through prayer and reading the word… not by meditating on “having a god inside of you.”

So please… pray for this young woman.

Re: "To the liberal "chrisitans"…"

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
— Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (ESV)

I would say it is a safe bet that if you are reading this note, you also read my note I posted earlier in the week entitled To the liberal “christians”… You may read it if you wish still though… but basically I expressed extreme dismay that many who wear the title of Evangelical Christian are backing a candidate who supports the slaughter of the unborn– whether they support Hillary or Obama. I am aware some of these individuals say testify to be against abortion themselves, but back either candidate for reasons of health care or welfare (neither of which were issues that plagued the minds of the founding fathers who, umm, founded this nation though) or even because they think either the War on Terror or the War in Iraq (to stabilize the government so they do not fall into the hands of another dictator in the near future) is a waste of American lives and money.

I adamantly disagree. I believe we should have compassion for the poor and downtrodden. I do not think welfare is the answer– there are too many people living off of it and other government programs that otherwise could work for a living. Notice I did not say that ALL who are on welfare do this. However it is a large number. I also stand by my views that the wars we are currently involved with in the Middle East are justified. I do not want another 9/11 to happen. And yes… the troop surge has been working. The media however fails to report this because … then they would have to admit the Bush Admin was right. And so they would rather focus on the Democrat’s candidacy battle (as fun as that is).

HAVING SAID ALL THAT…

I do recognize now, after much thought and consideration, I came across as very harsh, abrasive, and even unloving in that original note. This was wrong of me, and I repent. I am not backing down on my positions. I am arguably one of the most politically conservative Christians probably you will know.

For me, the litmus test on whether I will even CONSIDER a candidate running for any political office is his stance on the life issue: Is he Pro-Life? Does he hate abortion and support the Pro-Life cause? Does he have a disdain for the slaughter of babies, and does he hope to see such an injustice someday be made illegal? Unless the answers to these questions are a “YES!”, I would not even consider voting for such an individual. God HATES abortion. He hates it. If not, then he was kidding about that “Do Not Murder” thing in his moral law (aka The Ten Commandments). Unless I can see eye to eye with any given candidate on this important issue, I cannot support his bid for the presidency, congress, or any other public office.

I recognize there are some who will disagree with me. And you know what? I am sure you are very wrong.

Still, I may have…. and am pretty confident that I did… come across as too harsh in that original note. I could have faith that moves mountains… and understand all knowledge and mysteries. But if I have no love, all that is worth nothing. We are to speak truth in love. This does not mean I should back down from the TRUTH part, nor should I abandon the LOVE part. The two must go together.

Being loving and showing said love to others is something I am really struggling with. Even when I am right in theology or doctrine… if is said without love, it is not worth much. I do not back down from my POSITIONS stated in that note… only how these positions were portrayed in such an abrasive manner.

Please be in prayer for me, that I may grow so I not only convey theological truth… but do so in a loving manner. I should not focus on only what I say… but how I say it. If I offended you in the manner I said what I said, I apologize. I will try to now speak the truth AND do it in a loving manner.

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