Author: Nathaniel

There has been a lot of mention these days about Christians; specifically, Evangelical Christians. But what is an Evangelical Christian? Hopefully by the end of this article, it will be made clear.

What is an Evangelical Christian

For starters, an Evangelical Christian is a Christian. However, they stand in difference from the general Christian population in that their emphasis in

on being born-again according to the teachings in John 3:3-7

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. KJV

Evangelicals take this passage very seriously and put a distinguishing and sole importance on the need for all people to experience the transformation of the new birth. This was what the Great Awakening of the 1740s was about when the modern Evangelical movement was born.

Evangelicals also believe the Bible to be the inerrant, absolute authoritative Word of God and after having a conversion experience maintaining a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. This relationship is established and maintained with the assistance of the Holy Spirit which was released after Christ’s ascension.

Lastly, evangelicals for the most part, are fully involved in proselytizing (conversion). They are active in engaging the conversion experience. To sum up, Evangelical Christians take their Christianity very serious and to a large degree more than their counterparts—mainline Christians

What is the difference between Evangelical and Mainline Christians

The two factions of Christianity are not as completely distinct as some might argue. But there are clear differences at the center of each tradition, which allows us to identify them as different approaches to Protestantism.

These two groups of Christians have very similar basic beliefs and doctrines. But what distinguishes the evangelicals from other Protestants and other Christians are four central beliefs that keeps them distinctive.

Mainline Protestants have a different perspective. They have a more modernist contemporary theology. So, for example, they will read the Bible, however not as the inerrant word of God, but as a historical document, which contains God’s word and a lot of very important truths, but truths that needs to be interpreted in every age by persons of that time and that place.

Mainline Protestants are inclined to also believe that Jesus is the way to salvation. However, many mainline Protestants believe that perhaps there are other ways to salvation as well. This includes people in other religious traditions that are even outside of Christianity who may have access to God’s grace and salvation, as well as on their own terms, and through their own way.

Mainline Protestants are much less concerned with personal conversion. Although they do confer about spiritual transformation, they’ll often discuss a spiritual journey from one’s youth to senior adulthood, leading on into eternity. So while there is a sense of transformation, there isn’t that emphasis on conversion; on that one moment or series of moments in which one’s life is dramatically changed.

Lastly, mainline Protestants are somewhat less concerned with proselytizing than evangelicals. Certainly proselytizing is something they believe in. They believe in sharing their beliefs with others, however not necessarily for the purposes of conversion. The idea of spreading the word within the mainline tradition is far wider than simply preaching the good news. It additionally involves economic development. It also involves personal assistance, charity, a whole number of other activities.

Evangelicals Christians and politics

The political position of Evangelicals is somewhat misrepresented. The consensus is that Evangelicals position is in favor of the Republican Party because the Democrats of previous administrations didn’t support them. In fact, they supported and continue to support many of the issues that are against the beliefs and convictions of Evangelicals such as abortion, same-sex marriages, transgender rights, etc. and their concern is about losing control of their movement. Because of this, there is strong evangelical support for the present Republican President, Donald J. Trump, in spite of his immoral speech and behavior. This gives the impression that Evangelicals are simply a branch of the Republican Party and will support any Republican regardless. However, what the polls really indicate is that it is a majority of white Evangelicals voters that support the President. However, there is a significant percentage of white Evangelicals that don’t vote and there isn’t much mention of non-white Evangelicals. This can lead one to believe that Evangelical support is stronger than it really is.

There are certainly Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans who identify as Evangelicals. There are some from these groups that do not declare themselves specifically as Evangelical because of the political implications but will however identify with evangelical doctrines. For example, African Americans certainly will identify themselves as born again. Many from these groups voted against Donald Trump, a lot of them don’t participate in politics at all, just as many white Evangelicals don’t participate in politics. But for some reason white Evangelical voters that vote Republican are taken to represent the whole American evangelical community.

Recently, Mark Galli, editor in chief of Christianity Today magazine, published a scathing article against President Trump and his immoral behavior—that he should be removed from office. To that I say: it’s about time! It is high time for the Christian community to speak out against the immorality that has been spreading through our nation and I pray that it continues.

The modernistic mindsets of the main line Protestants I mentioned earlier leaves the door open for compromise. It appears that the Christians that support the current administration are of this branch rather than the evangelical branch to the danger of the church and the nation.

In the article https://thechristianadvocate.org/postmodernism-and-the-church/
more detail is given on the effects of modernism on the church.

Closing

I am an Evangelical Christian and I acknowledge the position that Mr. Trump has taken against abortion, for religious freedom, and the appointing of conservative judges—more than previous administrations—I get that. But abuse of office and obstruction of congress, and the threat to our national security tips the scale in the wrong direction. There are two sides to every coin. If we become influenced by the wrong country as a result, what happens to our religious freedom then? We can kiss it good-bye! As Jesus is quoted in the Scriptures as saying: … Take heed that ye be not deceived… Luke 21:8 KJV

Billy Graham may have voted for Trump in 2016, but I sincerely wonder if he would have voted for him today.

Question is: if Trump were removed, that would put Vice-President pence in control who is an evangelical and is a member of the first White House Bible study in one hundred years.  So…

To quote Mark Galli: “That he [President Trump] should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.”

To my fellow Christians, let us remember who
we serve and act accordingly!

Amen

I welcome any comment, question or concern. Please feel free to them leave below.

 

 

 

Here in the US, we recently celebrated Thanksgiving Day.

When you hear the word thanksgiving what comes to your mind? When you hear the word Thanksgiving Day, what comes to your mind? Chances are when we think of Thanksgiving Day, for most, our thoughts are a far cry from its origins and its true meaning. The intent of this article is to enlighten the truth behind Thanksgiving Day.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving Day include: turkey, Thanksgiving dinner with

family and friends, the pilgrims, the Thanksgiving Day parade ((US) etc… Some of us are thankful and some of us are more thankful than others and some just like to eat. Eating is the strongest of these when we traditionally stuff ourselves at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

What is thanksgiving all about

But, what is thanksgiving really about? What does the Bible say about thanksgiving? In the King James translation, thanksgiving is mentioned 28 times covering the Old and New Testaments. I won’t expound on all of them but let’s look at three (3) of them

In the Old Testament, the book of Leviticus contained the law which included sacrifices that were to be made unto God for various reasons. One category was peace offerings which included thanksgiving.

Lev 7:11-13 reads:

11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord.

12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving
unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. KJV

This is the first mention of thanksgiving in the Scriptures. Thanksgiving offerings were given in gratitude for deliverance from sickness, trouble, or death, or for a blessing received.

Ps 100:1-4 reads:

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. KJV

This is clearly a passage of praise. Within this praise is the acknowledgment of thanksgiving for creating us and providing us with His blessed provision as we are called: “the sheep of his pasture.”

Now the New Testament: Phil 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace

of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV

Christians are not to be consumed with anxiousness concerning self-centered, counterproductive worry, but with
thanksgiving take all of our requests to God. So while we are making our requests, we are to be thankful for the current blessings, give credit and praise to God for what he has already done. We can also, by faith, thank Him for answering our prayer request.

We are to be thankful even when things aren’t going the way we think they should. Scripture further says: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” [1 Thess 5:18 KJV] God has a purpose and a plan for all of us and it includes all things. For “all things work together for good to them that love God”… [Romans 8:28]

This spirit of thanksgiving is a year-round activity; not only one day. God blesses 24/7/365. Having said that, the day of Thanksgiving that’s celebrated is a far cry from its original inception.

Let’s move ahead in history to the beginning of Thanksgiving Day as a holiday.

Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth President of the United States declared Thanksgiving Day a national Holiday on October 3, 1863, during the Civil War. Below is a segment of the proclamation.

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.[He’s referring to the blessing of the nation] They are

the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances

and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”

Notice the word: “with humble penitence.” Thanksgiving Day was intended as a day of humbleness, contrition and praying—not gluttony. Another example of how we have taken the focus off of the creator and onto the creation. This is nothing short of idolatry.

Now, I have been to thanksgiving dinners where the emphasis was on “a short prayer” we dare not pray too long, the turkey is waiting, AND I have attended thanksgiving dinners where there was no prayer and all! Ironically, this is one of the days when we should pray the longest!!

It is interesting to hear the Israelites criticized for their foolish slide into apostasy when we’re falling into the same state. We seem to be forgetting just how blessed we are and more importantly where the blessings have come from. Instead of criticizing Israel, we would be wise to learn from their mistakes and act accordingly.

However, our culture is following the ways of Israel by turning further and further away from God. We are adopting attitudes and behaviors that are extremely contrary to the will of God and more sadly, it is infiltrating the church. More and more are we becoming a secular nation and the churches are following down the same slippery slope. In my article https://thechristianadvocate.org/postmodernism-and-the-church/ more detail is given.

This can’t be stopped as it is prophesied in Scripture of the coming apostasy. In the article https://thechristianadvocate.org/the-bible-and-end-times/
detail is given on this scenario.

In spite of this, Scriptures indicate that there is always a remnant of Christians that hold true to their profession. To them I say: “hold on!” Scripture reads in 1 Peter 1:13-16:

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. KJV

So we are to think clearly, exercise self-control and look forward to the salvation that will come to us when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. Therefore, we must live as God’s obedient children and not slip back into our old ways of living to satisfy our own desires when we didn’t know any better. We must be holy in everything we do, just as God is holy. For the Scriptures say, “For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Lev 11:44 KJV

So brothers and sisters, let us be thankful always, year-round and on that special day of thanks, let us have the proper attitude of thanksgiving as children of almighty God.

We need to take the focus off of the turkey and onto God!

Amen

Please, feel free to leave any question, comment, or concern below.

Blessings!

 

 

 

Sin is the breaking or transgression of God’s law. 1 John 3:4 reads:

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” NIV

Therefore, anytime we break God’s law, we sin. In my article: Repentance and sin, I explain more about the description of sin and the value of repentance from sin. But, why should we repent? Because there are end results:—consequences of sin. This article, addresses The Danger of Sin.

In the US, sin is a word that has become increasingly ignored these days. More and more this nation is embracing and condoning sinful actions and behaviors in alarming ways. We are adopting behaviors that God has destroyed nations for. A society that is becoming more and more secular with sin simply being ignored. Therefore, sin has become ubiquitous throughout the land.

Does sin have consequences

It is important to realize that sin doesn’t only have negative consequences for individuals, but for nations as well. So what happens when a nation sins against God?

For the answer to questions from a spiritual perspective, the only place to turn is to the Scriptures. Let’s take a look at Prov. 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” In other words, Godliness makes a nation celebrated—great, but sin is a dishonor to its citizens.

For the most part, politicians and rulers at every level of government—whether it be kings, governors, presidents, prime ministers, or officials—are to seek what will best prosper and exalt their nations. In the end, however, only one factor determines whether a nation rises or falls: righteousness. The nations that follow God’s standards and are governed by His Holy Word are great nations. Countries that embrace selfishness and sin over righteousness suffer disgrace and shame. World history repeatedly proves this to be true. The most obvious illustration is Old Testament Israel. When Israel obeyed and followed God, it became the greatest nation on the face of the earth. But when it forsook God for idols and all manner of sins, it fell. To this day, Israel has yet to be restored to its former glory. And, sadly, Solomon, the king who wrote this very proverb, actually set Israel’s decline in motion.

Israel had reached its peak of greatness during Solomon’s reign, but then began its downward slide when the king stooped to living in brazen and unrestrained immorality with 1,000 women.

To make matters even worse, Solomon exposed his nation to the false gods of all these foreign women.

This emphasizes the critical importance of individual righteousness and responsibility and the importance of righteous leadership.

This is why for those of us who live in a society that allows us to vote for leadership must take that responsibility very seriously. As the leader goes, so goes the nation. Let’s look at this in Scripture. 1 Kings 11:1-13

11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.

7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.

11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. KJV

So again, this was the beginning of Israel’s spiritual decline. Because their leader disobeyed, sinned against God and the nation has paid dearly. This begun with the dividing of the kingdom. Because God promised David an everlasting kingdom He split the kingdom and gave one tribe to Solomon’s son to continue David’s throne (vs. 13).

The next passage of Scripture contains the manifestation of this leader’s sin for the nation of Israel.

Jeremiah 25:4-12

4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

5 They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

6 And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.

7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,

9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. KJV

Now some 356 years later, Israel is stepped in sin. God sent out numerous prophets asking Israel to turn from their wicked ways and return to Him in righteousness. But they refused (vss. 4-7).

As a result, a price had to be paid (vss. 8-12).

Down through the years, three separate indictments and warnings were issued to the people of Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel).

The first indictment—was issued by Jeremiah. He had been faithfully preaching the Word of God to the people for twenty-three long years, nineteen years during the reign of Josiah and four years during the evil, brutal rule of Jehoiakim. Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the Word of God. They rejected His Word and shut their ears to His demand for righteousness. Wanting nothing to do with God’s holy commandments, they rejected the warnings of His Word and denied the fact of coming judgment. Time and again Jeremiah issued his warning, but the people would not listen.

The second indictment—was issued by true prophets down through the years (vss.4-6). Time and again the Lord sent prophet after prophet to the people. But the people refused to listen to God’s servants. The prophets’ message was one of repentance, a message that offered great hope to the people. If they would turn away from evil, the Lord would allow them to stay in the Promised Land (vs.5). If they would turn away from their idol worship—the creations of their own imaginations—God would not judge or harm them (vs.6). Yet despite this wonderful offer of salvation and deliverance, the people shut their ears. They would not listen and paid no attention whatsoever to God’s Word

The third indictment— was issued by the Lord Himself (vs.7). He leveled three strong charges against the people:

⇒ No matter what He offered them, they did not listen to His Word. They stubbornly closed their ears and became hard-hearted against Him.

⇒ They provoked Him by turning away and worshipping false gods. Instead of worshipping Him, the only living and true God, they turned to the idols of the world, the so-called gods created in their own minds and imaginations.

⇒ They brought judgment upon themselves. Because of their stubbornness and their refusal to listen to God’s Word, they had no one to blame but themselves. They had to accept the blame and bear the burden for the coming judgment of God.

In the balance of the chapter, devastating judgment was the consequence of not listening to God’s Word. Due to the people’s intentional spiritual deafness, God’s hand of judgment would fall heavily upon them. They would be conquered by Babylon, exiled throughout the Babylonian Empire, and suffer a seventy-year captivity. The Lord would use King Nebuchadnezzar as His agent of judgment (vv.8-14).

Notice that the Lord referred to Nebuchadnezzar as, “My servant” (27:6; 43:10). This does not mean that Nebuchadnezzar was a righteous man, but rather that God was using him as a servant to execute His justice and judgment on earth. God was appointing Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Judah and all the surrounding nations (v.9). It is important to take note that God uses the righteous and the unrighteous as He wills.

Once Judah and the other nations were completely demolished, they would become objects of horror and scorn. All activities of life would cease. No longer would there be the joyful occasions associated with marriage, work, and home life (v.10). Judah and the other nations would be utterly devastated and become a wasteland (v.11a). Again, note a significant time frame: they would be held in captivity for seventy years (29:10; 2 Chr. 36:21; Dan. 9:1-2). Most likely, the seventy years began at the time of the first deportation of exiles in 605 B.C., the year Daniel was deported to Babylon (Dan. 1:1ff; 9:1-2). This means that the seventy years ended with the first return of exiles in 536 B.C. (Dan. 9:1-2).

But that wasn’t the end of the story the judicial judgment of God had to be executed against Babylon as well. Babylon was guilty of the most horrendous evil, injustice, and cruelty toward other people. The Lord would rise up another nation (Persia) as His agent to execute judgment against the wicked, brutal Babylonians. Just as they had enslaved other nations, so the nations and kings of the Media-Persian Empire would enslave them (v.14).

God leaves no stone unturned regarding His blessings or judgments. He is just in all He does according to our works (vss. 13-14).

Now applying this to today, there Bible contenders who will dismiss this as Old Testament and inapplicable to today. Therefore I would like to direct to a New Testament Scripture,

1 Corinthians 10: the first five verses (vss. 1-5) contain a summary of Israel’s blessings, and their subsequent demise as a result of their unfaithfulness. Out of the over the two million original Israelites that left Egypt, only two entered the Promised Land—Caleb and Joshua.

Verses 6-10 contain a warning:

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [cf. Exod. 32:6]

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. KJV

Two points:

1. 1. Here we have New Testament Scripture confirming the Old Testament. Stating that the things of the Old Testament, namely Israel’s history was written and given to us as an example as well as a warning so that we would not repeat them and experience the same tragic consequences (vss.6, 11). These examples and warning has been handed down to us for our admonition; our cautious warning.

The Scripture is very specific regarding the sins: lust, idolatry, fornication (sexual sins), and temptation of God, murmuring and complaining.

1. 2. Note that this warning was written to the Corinthian church by the Apostle Paul. It applies to the church today. The church of today is experiencing the same situation as the Corinthian church experienced.

The security of the Christian believer is one of the great doctrines of the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the doctrine has too often been preached and taught with an inadequate understanding of the doctrine and to the neglect of the warnings of Scripture.

As a result, two of the greatest problems facing the church today are those of false security and over-confidence. But Scripture is clear…if interpreted and taught correctly.

The result has been tragic, for it has brought multitudes into the church who has not been genuinely converted to Christ, and it has given them a sense of false security and over-confidence. Multitudes think they are Christians and followers of Christ, but their lives do not match their profession. The very sins listed in this passage were entrenched in the Corinthian church and they are entrenched in the church and lives of Christians today. It behooves us to learn from the mistakes of others—namely Israel.

We may not bow down to physical idols and statues today, but we certainly have our idols. Sin itself with the lack of repentance is an idol. [Ephesians 5:5] Money and material possessions have become the new religion; societies are increasingly embracing extremely immoral acts ignoring God and His Word—just as Israel did. The moral fiber is in serious decay, and the results are beginning to show. Societies and governments are becoming more and more corrupt and dysfunctional. The slippery slide has begun.

Because God moves in His own time, we don’t see the consequences of national sin right away, in some cases not in one’s life time. Remember as I mentioned earlier, it was 356 years for the pronouncement of judgment came down on Israel. But because the consequences aren’t immediate, doesn’t mean that God is sleeping. He patiently waits for the turn around, the repentance. [2 Pet. 3:9] His goodness is to bring us to repentance. [Rom. 2:4] He’s waiting patiently for us to turn around.

We face danger, great danger: what happened to the believers of Israel can happen to us. If it does, then the doom that fell upon the believers of Israel will fall upon us. It is critical, therefore, to pay attention and know what caused the people of Israel to be destroyed and what kept them from entering the Promised Land and adjust ourselves accordingly.

In my article, https://thechristianadvocate.org/postmodernism-and-the-church/ one of the issues addressed is how it has affected the church. In this age of relativism truth is according to the individual’s belief in his or hers own mind. This in essence kicks absolutes and the Bible to the curb. But it doesn’t matter what we believe the truth to be in our own minds, the real truth always prevails. Because we choose to ignore sin and go our own way, doesn’t erase it and God doesn’t wink at sin. The Scripture is clear: “the wages of sin is death…” [Rom.6:23]

We are promised a Promised Land also but in order to enter it, we will have to acknowledge and accept the truth— and act accordingly or bear the dire consequences. This applies individually and nationally.

Does sin have consequences? You bet it does—dire ones.

Please feel free to leave any comment, question, or concern below.

Blessings!

 

 

 

The foremost activity a Christian engages in is prayer. Christians and prayer go hand in hand. A Christian without prayer is the same as a fish out of water. There is simply no existence to a Christian without prayer. A professing Christian that doesn’t pray is simply a fraud.

What is prayer

Prayer is communication with God. It is the life line in which all spiritual activity transpires. Prayer is the means by which a sinner confesses their sinfulness and sins and accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is known as the sinner’s prayer. It literally puts one on the path to salvation. However, it doesn’t end there. Prayer is an activity that continues throughout the life of a Christian fueling their growth.

What is the purpose of prayer

Christianity isn’t only about following commands and rules, but a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. If we want to receive all the fruits from a relationship, communication is vital. All relationships thrive on communication and a relationship with God is no exception. Therefore, the main purpose of prayer is to perpetuate a relationship with God. This doesn’t only involve praying for our needs, but communicating perpetually. God communicates with us through the Spirit. Many individuals to comprehend that prayer is a two-way activity not merely a means of requesting wants and needs.

Prayer is the acknowledgment of the presence of God. It is where pride is deserted and humility is adopted, hope is raised, and requests are made. Prayer is the act of admitting our need for God—our dependence on Him, and expressing and illustrating faith upon God. Prayer is a most essential practice for the Christian. Prayer is the privilege of touching the center of the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.

There is yet one more benefit of prayer: peace. Scripture says in Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,”

Peace is invaluable. It is a state that that compares to nothing else. It is beyond being happy. One can be unhappy but have peace. When you have peace, you have everything—you’re at rest no matter what is going on around you—to the point that it, as the Scripture reads: “surpasses all understanding.” No one can understand your peace in the midst of a storm. We ought to take “everything”
to God “by prayer and supplication.”

What are the different kinds of prayers

The basic kinds of prayer are praise, petition (supplication), intercession, and thanksgiving.

Prayer is a work of worship that exalts God and emphasizes the need for Him. Living a life of prayer is a response to Christ’s work of salvation and communication with the very source of and purpose for our existence.

Praise—Praise is the form of prayer that highly recognizes that God is God and lets Him know it. It gives Him glory for what He does, but also beyond what He does, but for simply who He is and because He IS. It bestows blessing and adoration upon God the creator. It acclaims the greatness of the Lord who created us and the colossal power of the Savior who sets us free from evil.

It highly expresses the happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. Christianity is a based on Faith. More on faith in the article: What is Faith About.

By praise, the Holy Spirit is united with our spirits to bear witness that Christians are children of God and testifying that we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward Him who is the One God, the Father.

Petition—a prayer of petition is a formal request. The first act of the prayer of petition is asking for forgiveness… it is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. When Christians share in God’s saving love, they understand that every need can become the object of petition. They also understand what Jesus said …” in John 15:16 …”that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Christ is glorified by what we ask of the Father in His name.

Intercession—intercessory prayer is prayer on behalf of another. Intercession is a prayer of petition which guides us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor and mediator with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners. The Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for Christians when they don’t know what they should pray for.[Rom 8:26] Christians can also intercede for others for any reason deemed necessary. Two praying in agreement can be stronger than one. [Matt. 18:19-20]

Thanksgiving—prayers of Thanksgiving encompasses the giving of thanks for blessing—both spiritually as well as materially. Humanity has so much to be thankful for—especially Christians. Non-believers because of the kindness and goodness bestowed upon them in spite of their spiritual condition or the lack thereof. Scripture is clear that God’s goodness is to bring repentance. [Rom. 2:4]

God in His kindness provided a way through His Son, Jesus Christ, for all mankind to be redeemed. All we’ve to try and do is accept this gift. That in itself warrants praise and Thanksgiving. But on a daily basis we all
have much to be thankful for.

Means of Prayer

Just as there are different kinds of prayer, there are different avenues or ways of prayer.

• Vocal—verbal prayer openly expresses the heart. What is within the heart comes out of the mouth. [Mark 7:21] Whether individually or in the presence of others, verbal prayer connects the body with the internal prayer of the heart. By words, mental or vocal, our prayers take root.
•  Meditative—meditation totally involves the mind and allows a full concerted effort to focus on Christ and God. Meditation employs thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This form of prayerful reflection is a great value. Scripture reads in Isa 26:3:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Keeping our minds on God and the things of God will keep us in peace. Peace that we desperately need in this divisive and troubled world.

• Contemplative Prayer—involves being prayerfully deep in thought as opposed to praying in the mind. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, God, and the Word of God, a silent love. It is a rewarding spiritual mental exercise.

The best test our prayer life and dependence upon God is by the presence of peace or the lack thereof in our hearts. In all things in life, we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence.

Peace will surely be our gain. Amen.

Please feel free to leave any question, comment or concern below.

Blessings!

 

 

 

To some the Holy Spirit is a mystery. To others, it is a powerful source.

Which one is it for you? Find out by reading this article: All about the Holy Spirit.  It is descriptive of what the Holy Spirit is and the role it plays in a Christian’s life.

What is the Holy Spirit

It isn’t so much of what but who is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). For more detail on the Trinity, see the article on this site: all About the Trinity.

One of the ways God exercises His power is through the Holy Spirit, which was promised by Jesus to the disciples as He was preparing for His departure from earth. His first mention was in John 15:26-27

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Here Jesus refers to the Spirit as “Comforter.” The word Comforter conveys the helping, encouraging, and strengthening work of the Spirit as He represents Christ. “The Spirit of truth” refers to the teaching, illuminating, and reminding work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit ministers to both the head and the heart, and both components are important.

In verse 27, Jesus stated that the disciples will bear witness of Jesus’ authenticity—that He is the Messiah and the Son of God since they were with Him since the very beginning of His ministry. The disciples were the crucial link between Jesus Christ and all resultant believers. The Holy Spirit would be needed to remind them so that when they preached, taught, and wrote, they would spread the truth of the gospel. The Holy Spirit would make certain that their witness would not be impaired by persecution. Jesus had already warned these men about the persecution to come so that they would not be surprised in previous verses 18-25.

This is why Jesus is recorded as telling the disciples in Luke 24:49: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” They were instructed to wait until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, promised by the Father, before enforcing His commission to them. They would need His help to overcome the resistance that awaited them.

In the next chapter, Jesus went on to explain more about the Holy Spirit-the Comforter. In chapter, John 16:7-16

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Without the death of Jesus and His resurrection we could not be saved. His death made it possible for the removal our sins. Before Jesus could overcome death by his resurrection, He had to submit to death. And if He hadn’t gone back to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not have arrived in the way God had planned. The Spirit could not arrive until Jesus was glorified.

After his glorification — through the process of crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension — Jesus could send the Spirit to the believers. While Christ was on earth, He was limited to one place at a time (being in human flesh). His leaving meant he could live, through the Holy Spirit, in every Christian in the whole world. Therefore, it was for their good that he had to go away. The Spirit carried Jesus’ work to a more intense level during the history of the church. By the Spirit the gospel would go out to the entire world.

In verse 8, Jesus started to go into detail of the Spirit’s work: he will reprove the world of sin. To reprove is to condemn and convict. The Holy Spirit carries out his convicting work in at least three ways:

1. The Holy Spirit proves the world wrong by exposing the world’s error and convincing people they are sinners. This includes general admittance of guilt as evidence of the Spirit’s work.

2. The Holy Spirit convicts people of their sins, representing the righteous judgment of God.

3. The Holy Spirit makes sin personally known to individuals in order to bring them to repentance. He personalizes God’s accusation from all are guilty to you are guilty. He breaks through our defenses and rationalizations and confronts us with at least a glimpse of our true selves in relation to God’s standards.

The third way that the Spirit works is the one that matters. Alone by themselves, the first two communicate not much more than a strong sense of the justice of God. But the third explanation not only includes the first two, but it also brings to bear God’s mercy. God graciously makes us aware of our sin that he might make us open to his grace. The Holy Spirit prepares the human heart and then applies the healing work of Jesus Christ to that person’s heart.

In verse 9, Jesus specifically mentioned the greatest sin. The greatest sin is the rejection of Jesus (Jn. 3:18). Those who deny Jesus are in danger of eternal separation from God.

In verse 10, Jesus makes the point that the Spirit’s function is to show all people that Christ alone provides the standard of God’s righteousness. The Holy Spirit is to attempt to make unbelievers recognize God’s perfect standard before they will admit their own deficiency. It is up to the individual to accept.

In verse 11, Jesus stated that the Spirit will show that, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the prince of this world, Satan, has already been judged and condemned. Although Satan still actively attempts to deceive, harden, and threaten those in this world (1 Peter 5:8), it is only a matter of time, for God has determined the time of his execution (Rev 20:2, 7-10).

In verse 13, Jesus made the point that the prominent role of the Spirit of truth is to guide the believers into all truth. By truth Jesus meant the truth about his identity, the truth of his words and actions, and the truth about all that to happened to him.

In time disciples would fully understand that he was the Son that came from the Father, sent to save people from their sins. But only after these events occurred, and only through the Holy Spirit’s guidance would the disciples be able to understand. The Holy Spirit is the true guide for all believers; his primary task is to instruct us about the truth (1 John 2:20).

In verse 14 we see that the Spirit does not glorify his own personality; instead, He glorifies the Son’s. The Spirit takes what the Son is and makes it known to believers. In that way, He individualizes the teaching of Christ and calls people to obey. The Holy Spirit encourages us to apply, instructs us to apply, and then helps us apply Christ’s words!

In verse 15 we see the complete unity of the Trinity.

What we refer to as the doctrine of the Trinity is a summary of what Jesus taught about his relationship to the Father and the Spirit. Without in any way retreating from the awesome revelation of God as One, Jesus demonstrated that God’s oneness is at the same time a threefold godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God exists in perfect, complete harmony while at the same time functioning in the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are one; yet they relate to one another. They are beyond our complete comprehension; yet they have graciously exposed themselves to us so that we may trust and be saved!

When a person hears the Word and accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit is received. From that point on, it is the Holy Spirit that prompts the teaching, the learning, and the subsequent growth in a Christian’s life. It is the Holy Spirit that enables one to live the Christian life in a world with so many distractions and temptations.

It therefore behooves Christians to constantly listen to the “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Blessings!

Please feel free to leave any question, comment, or concern below

 

 

 

The Trinity: one of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Though sometimes refuted by some, the Scriptures clearly acknowledge its existence. This article contains a discussion all about the Trinity.

What is the Trinity

Trinity is a word that describes a triune God. Triune meaning three parts: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Tri means three while unity means one = triunity equals trinity. We are triune beings: body (our physical bodies), a soul, and a Spirit. Three parts, yet one human being, created in the image of God.

While the actual word  Trinity is not contained within the Scriptures, they specifically address these three. For example, in Matt 28:19-20 contain part of Jesus’ Great Commission to the disciples before His ascension where He said:

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. NIV

Another example is in 1 John 5:7. This chapter addresses the assurance of salvation by faith through the Son (Jesus). Verse 7 reads:

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. KJV

Here we have the three: God the Father, the Word (Jesus cf. john 1:1, 14) and the Holy Ghost (the Spirit).

While this triune consists of three distinct aspects they move in unison as the One God. These three aspects make up the Divine Godhead. For all of eternity, God the Father, God the Son and God Holy Spirit have always been in relationship and communication with each other, yet not as three gods but as one God. One clear example of this is in Genesis. From the very beginning we see God moving in unity with the other aspects of the deity. In the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, God says, In Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image…male and female he created them.”

This concept of three is universal of God’s creation. The entire universe is made up of three elements: Time, Space, and Matter. Furthermore, each of these elements contains three ‘components. Let’s look.

Time contain the three elements: past, present, future. These are three distinct fundamentals representing three distinct roles. Each is coexisting, yet they are not three separate times but one under the nature of time. Therefore, they all share the same environment: time.

Space contains the elements: height, width, depth and they are all distinct from one another, representing different functions of space. But they are not three separate spaces but one under the same environment: space.

Matter contains the elements: solid, liquid, gas. These are three separate and distinct elements with different functions. But they aren’t three matters; they are sharing the same one nature: matter.

And last by not least, God’s crown creation: man—Body, Soul, and Spirit. These are three distinct aspects but not three men, only one man.

I sure the pattern is recognizable at this point!

To look at a mathematical example: not 1+1+1=3 but 1x1x1x1=1 three elements making up 1

Three is a very significant number Biblically. It is often called the divine number because it is mentioned in connection with holy things so frequently. It is the number of divine completeness and perfection. It exemplifies that God is in it.

Going back to creation and the three elements of creation, please take note that there are three sets of threes. In other words, there are trinities within the trinity. The number three (3) is palpable. One can look at this and observe that God is fully involved in creation! Perhaps more detail on the number three in a future article.

One of the questions skeptics bring up concerning the Trinity is: If Jesus is God, why did He pray and who was He praying to? While on earth, Jesus continued to talk to the Father, and the Father and the Spirit continued to communicate with him. Look at what He is quoted as saying John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”

Understandably the doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts in Christianity. On the other hand, it’s fundamental to Christians because it affirms what God is like and who He is. It also plays a central part in Christians’ worship of an unobjectifiable and unfathomable God.

Fact is, God’s triunity transcends our rational comprehension and that makes it somewhat difficult to comprehend. But it’s not impossible. It’s something to pray for understanding about.

But as God Said through the prophet Isaiah in Isa 55:8-9 ” For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” With a statement like that, it makes sense to not fully understand everything about God. But He reveals what He wants us to know through the Scriptures. Although Scripture does not give us complete answers to all questions, it does give us enough information to enable us to trust God and to know right from wrong. Through the truths revealed in Scripture, we can know much about God, and we can have the assurance that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

We also have a helper: The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. For Jesus said in John 16:13: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…“ As we are led and guided by the Spirit and grow spiritually, more truth is revealed. We just need to follow the lead. My next article will be on the Holy Spirit.        Amen

For further reading on the Trinity, I recommend the book: The Deep Things of God by Fred Sanders. You can read the review and purchase on Amazon.com  [paid link]

Please feel free to leave any comment or question you may have below.

Are we living in the end times? The Bible is pretty clear about end time events; the signs of the end times. So what exactly does the Bible say about end times? The object of this article is to examine the bible and end times to answer the question: are we living in the end times.

What does the end times mean

The term “end times” refers to the final time (s) before the end of history, specifically the second coming of Christ. It is also referred to “last days” in the Scriptures.

The study of this period is called Eschatology. The word comes from two (2) Greek words, eschatos (last) and logos (study) – thus its definition as: the study of last things. This period began when Christ ascended into heaven and ends upon His return. Therefore, we are living in the last days and the end times.

What Does the Bible Say About End Times

For starters, we are informed in the Scriptures about the signs of the end

times. Let’s look at one in 2 Tim 3:1-5:

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. KJV

Does this apply to today? Let’s take a look.

The Scripture says in verse 1: “in the last days perilous times shall come.” We are without a doubt living in some dangerous times. People are shooting each other in the streets. Individuals are being shot in their homes for no reason. Worshipers are even being killed in their houses of worship. The police, who are supposed to protect us, are too often the ones endangering us and we are living under the ever-increasing threat of terrorism both domestically and internationally.

Verse 2: “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,” Have you noticed how narcissistic our society is today? It is all about self: what I want, what I need and the me first attitude. Our culture has a me first and the hell with everybody else attitude. There are numerous segments of the population crying for their own rights instead of being unified under the general law.

“Covetous?” Our society is all about the dollar and material things. There is no such thing as enough because it’s lusted. Eccl 5:10 reads: He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.” People of today want more and more and bigger and bigger and better and better, and are seldom satisfied with what they have. In the last days people focus and will continue to focus upon…

• money, accumulating more and more.

• houses in the very best neighborhoods, on the seashore, in the mountains, and by the rivers.

• furnishings and property.

• property, stocks and bonds— be in possession of more and more.

possessions—such as clothes, jewelry, antiques, art, and cars.

• travel, seeing more and more sights.

• power—controlling more and more.

People love money, what it buys and allows them to do, and they will covet more and more of it and the things it buys. Their eyes and hearts are focused upon money instead of God. The new religion of the nation is—money. They will indulge and hoard instead of meeting the desperate needs of the poor and lost of the world.

Notice what has happened to the middle class. It’s disappearing! It’s shrinking to only two classes: the haves and the haves not. The haves want more and more at the expense of the others. They simply don’t care.

“boasters, proud, blasphemers,“ have you heard our President lately? Blasphemy is usually thought to be against God, as it is. But it is also against people. People can blaspheme people. Think of the cursing and insults thrown against God and folks today. Practically everyone is cursing and reviling someone. There is so much cursing today because there is a loss of respect for both self and others, for both position and authority because people are disturbed within.

“Unthankful”
There is an ever decreasing sense of gratitude or appreciation for what one has and receives; no giving of thanks due to God or man. Many feel that the world and society or business and government owe them the good things of life. Our present society fails to see how good God has been to them. Therefore, they reach out to get more and more without sensing any need to express thanks and appreciation. They take and take and forget all about the thanksgiving. —the debt and contribution—they owe to God and men. Retail stores are even open on Thanksgiving Day! Today we as a nation can’t as much as put a day aside to be thankful for all that God has done and is doing.

“unholy” Our nation, the US, has become more secular than ever before. It began with the removal of prayer from the schools and has progressed steadily since. The cries for removal of the Ten Commandments from public grounds, retail stores no longer display Merry Christmas, record low church attendance are manifestations of an unholy secular society. More and more and more businesses are open on Sundays—total disregard for God (The Lords day). The atheists are more and more aggressive with their agenda of denouncing God and twisting the separation of church and state.

These are just a few examples of the progressive godliness in occurrence. In my article: Postmodernism and The church, I explain how this movement was used to usher in this apostasy.

Verse 3:”without natural affection” This addresses a lack of feeling for others who become little more than pawns for a one’s own use and benefit, pleasures, excitements and stimulation. It’s presently legal in the US to disregard human life for one’s selfish benefits. There is less and less affection for the normal and natural. People are turning to the abnormal and unnatural in relationships and behavior, pleasures and sex. Men and women have become unfaithful and perverted. Affection for friends, country, and earth is diminishing.

“trucebreakers” A trucebreaker is an individual or some organization or body of people who tragically do not keep their word or promise. They are simply untrustworthy and undependable. Recently we backed away from our commitment to an ally in the fight against terrorism; pulled out all troops. As the last days move forward, we will see even more of what we are seeing in our society today: a barrage of broken truces, covenants, and promises.

“false accusers” these are simply slanders. Such people are quick to spread falsehoods. Slanderers enjoy spreading gossip and malicious reports about others. Destroying another’s good reputation gives them some perverse pleasure. There is certainly enough of that going around today.

“incontinent” describes someone who is undisciplined and uncontrolled; having no self-control or no power to discipline. It is being given over: to pleasure and indulgence, to passion and sexual craving, to lust and lewdness. It is a person who cannot control their passion for food, sex, pornography, sensuality, drink, drugs, smoking, whatever their passions dictates. It is a passion that grips and enslaves a person until it becomes an unbreakable habit and bondage. For examples of this: just watch the news, both local and world news.

“Fierce.” The single word of description: terrorism. These are people who are savage and untamed. It is the word that describes the savage beast of the wild that’s unrestrained in its ferocity. It is a word that should never be true of human beings, yet tragically it is. Never in the history of the globe have men become as fierce and savage as they are nowadays. They are conducting public mass beheadings, blowing up civilian villages, raping women and children, mutilating and torturing innocent people. These horrific things are happening and it isn’t going to get any better.

“despisers of those that are good.” These people are so evil that they actually have abhorrence for anything good.

“Traitors” These individuals are prepared and willing to betray anyone. It refers to a person who betrays any trust or any commitment. The most tragic betrayal of all is the person who betrays Christ and the church—who turns his back upon Christ and returns to the world and its crowd. As the last days progress, we will see an increase in traitors.

“heady” obstinate and reckless, rash and hasty—all without giving thought to the consequences. Reckless is probably the best word to describe these individuals. These people cause irreparable damage to society: the drunken drivers, the random shooters, gangbangers and thugs all increasingly present in our society today. By being heady, thinking that one knows best and can live and act recklessly without consequence, has led to more hurt, accidents, damaged bodies, and death than can ever be imagined.

“highminded” These are people who feel that because they are educated, and so scientific, so advanced, so high in position and authority, ability, and gifts that they feel completely self-sufficient. They feel no need for God. They are above God and most people. Furthermore, they have no problem showing it.

“lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” This is simply fleshly. Unfortunately, this has crept over into the church. Professing Christians are choosing pleasures over church. This has contributed to the decreasing attendance of churches across America.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” These individuals have godliness on the surface, but on the inside they deny God’s power over their lives. In a word— Hypocrites—and there are plenty of them to go around!

These behaviors and events are happening all over the world right now—today. Are we living in the end times? Indicators say, yes.

The Scriptures mention the event when the final battle between God and the adversaries of God meet for the final battle in a place named Armageddon. [Rev. 16:16] Although scholars disagree on the exact location, it is in the Middle East. An individual would have to be living under the biggest rock to not know that the middle east is the most contentious region on earth and becoming more so with every passing day. Just know that there will never be complete peace in the Middle East.

So what are we to do while all of this goes on around us?

In Luke 21:7 Jesus’ disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him when the end would come and what would be a sign of His return. Verses 8-36 contain the discourse with the answer. [cf. Matt. 24:3-42] At the end of His discourse, in verse 36 He said: Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

As followers of Jesus we are to always be on the watch, and pray. This reflects an attitude toward life that endeavors to stay away from evil and to follow and obey Jesus. Both watching and praying are free will actions — as Christians await Jesus’ return, we are to work to advance his kingdom. Only with a focus on Him and the power of the Holy Spirit can we escape all that is about to happen, and only through obedience to him will we be able to stand before the Son of Man when he returns. All Christians must be ready and alert for Jesus’ return, working for the kingdom, both because they know of the certainty of Christ’s return and because they don’t know when that return will happen. Being prepared demonstrates believers’ faith and wholehearted obedience. Amen.

Please feel free to leave any question or comment below.

 

 

 

 

Faith—the incontestable engine of the Christian doctrine. Faith is what drives Christians to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So what is this faith? What is faith about? This article is all about faith.

What is faith

For starters, what is faith? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a strong belief or trust in someone or something. Every human being exercises faith. For example, when we are ready to travel to a destination, we approach our cars with the belief that the motor will start and they are going to take us to our destination. There’s no evidence of this, we just believe it to be so. Most of the time it is but sometimes we’re disappointed. But for the most part we believe this is going to happen before it happens—that’s faith. When we go to a restaurant, we order food by faith with the assured belief that the food will arrive, that it will taste good, and that it won’t poison us. We have no evidence of this; we believe that it’s going to happen before it happens—that’s faith. I could go on and on, but the point is, in our everyday lives we operate on faith. It is “trust in someone or something.”

So what Christian faith about? Well. Let’s look at what Christian faith is.

What is Christian Faith

The Christian definition of faith tells us what the Christian faith is about.  According to the Nelson’s Bible dictionary, faith is: A belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life. Faith is the instrument by which the gift of salvation is received. Eph. 2:8-9 reads:

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Faith is therefore distinct from the basis of salvation, which is grace, and from the consequence of salvation, which is good works.

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The apostle Paul declared that salvation is through faith, not through keeping the works of the law.

The basis of salvation is grace from God. Christians accept this grace by faith, putting their trust in the atoning sacrifice of God’s Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. By confessing and repenting of their sins, the Christians accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This is the beginning of a Christian’s walk of faith. However, make no mistake, faith is part of the Christian life from beginning to end.

Scripture defines faith this way in Heb 11:1:

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This chapter in Hebrews is known as the chapter/hall of faith and it begins

with a description of faith. Faith is the “substance” meaning the foundation, assurance, and guarantee of things hoped for. Christians base their hopes on the foundation of faith. Faith is a verb, a word of action and is being described as an act, an act of the mind and heart.

Biblical hope is confident expectancy. Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but an unyielding assurance about things that are unseen and still in the future. In the Bible, the word hope stands for both the act of hoping (Rom 4:18; 1 Cor 9:10) and the thing hoped for (Col 1:5; 1 Peter 1:3). Hope does not arise from the individual’s desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the Christian’s hope. Rom 8:24-25 reads:

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

When Christians put their faith in Christ as Savior, they receive this hope: that they will be redeemed. However, the full redemption hasn’t occurred; it will happen when Christ returns. That is why it is still a hope—an expectation. We expect what we hope for to come.

While we can be confident of our salvation, we still look ahead with hope and trust toward that complete redemption that lies beyond this earthly life.

Back to Heb. 11:1, It goes on to say “the evidence of things not seen.” Scripture seems to be saying that faith is the actual possession of reality. It is believing that God exists and what He promises; He will deliver—even though we can’t see the fulfillment it at the moment.

A life of faith

So how important is faith in the life of a Christian?

According to the Scriptures, faith is of the upmost importance. In Heb 11:6 it reads:

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God desires to have a relationship with His people. This pleases Him. But it is impossible to have a relationship with Him without faith in Him; faith that He exists in the first place.

God assures us that all who “earnestly seek him” will be rewarded. To earnestly seek means to act in faith on the knowledge of God. Then, subsequently determine to devote oneself to him.

Another passage of Scripture that addresses living by faith is Hebrews 10:38-39:

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Faith preserves the soul; it is the only thing that can save the soul. The only way a person will ever be accepted by God and escape the judgment of God is to…

• believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• believe that He is the perfect sacrifice for sins—that Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself and bore the guilt and punishment of them for us—that Jesus Christ has thereby freed us from sin and made us acceptable to God.

The person who believes this is “just” before God; he is counted righteous before God. The just person—all Christians—shall live by faith and by faith alone.

Drawing back from Christ displeases God. God is never pleased with a person…

• who professes Christ and draws back into sin.

• who has known the truth and draws back into sin.

• who plays the hypocrite.

• who has a form of religion but draws back from the sacrificial blood of His Son.

God has no pleasure in this person, no pleasure whatsoever. This means that He will judge the person who draws back.

Drawing back is not the way of the Christian—not the dedicated Christian. As the Scripture reads: “We are not of those who draw back unto perdition.”

Some are; some professed faith in Christ and have now drawn back. But others are not of that number they “…believe to the saving of the soul.”

The bottom line

The point: Christian believers are to walk by faith, not by feelings and emotions. The tendency of people, even of Christians, is to live by their feelings and emotions. They act according to their feelings. They experience some emotion, so they behave according to that emotion. If they feel bad, they act irresponsibly: grumbling, complaining, and reacting. If they feel good, they act happy. Their behavior is determined by how they feel and react to emotional experiences. This is simply—fleshly.

Living by one’s feelings is contrary to God’s will. “The just shall live by faith”—this is God’s will. The Christian is to let faith control him. He is to let faith control his life and the particular problems that confront him every so often.

How does a Christian live by faith? What does it mean to live by faith? It means to do four things—consistently.

1. The Christian is to commit his life and his problems to God—all day long—throughout all his waking hours. He is to take the experiences and the problems of his day and commit them to God once-for-all. He is to believe that God hears his commitment and gives the strength to walk triumphantly throughout the day. He is to know that God does not like a whining, whimpering child begging and begging for strength when all he is doing is wallowing around in self-pity. This holds true no matter what is going on in and around the Christian’s life, as the scripture reads in 2 Cor. 5:7: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) Walk in the Scriptures signifies living…we live by faith, not by what we see; not by our circumstances in our lives or what’s on the news.

2. The Christian is to deny self. The feelings, emotions, and selfishness of his flesh are to be rejected, even ignored if necessary.

3. The Christian is to act as though he has made a commitment to God. He has made a commitment, so he is to act like it. His feelings are immaterial. He is to act responsibly. He is to go ahead and do what he should be doing. He is to behave as he should.

4. Then while the Christian is doing what he ought to be doing, he is to be asking God for His grace and strength. He is to be acknowledging God in all His ways throughout the whole day. [Prov. 3:5] He is to walk in prayer all day long, asking forgiveness as he comes short and slips and falls, and praising and thanking God for His eternal mercy and grace.

God does not direct the Christian’s path and then he feels good and goes about doing right. It is while the Christian is going about his affairs in a responsible way that God directs his paths. This is the life of the new and living faith wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ for those who believe and follow Him.

This is what faith is about!

The Christian walk of faith is a not easy one; especially when life isn’t so rosy. It is a lot more serious than many professing Christians acknowledge. But being empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can maintain our faith in spite of what’s happening (what we see) around us.

Time is marching on and we need to get ourselves in line with the will of God and take heed to what the Scripture says in Rev 2:26, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.” This takes faith!

Our faith can start out small but it is to grow and it what helps us to over come until the end. Jesus said in Matt 17:20 in response to His disciples:
…”I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” NIV
A mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, yet it can move mountains and and it grows into a large tree (Matt. 13:31).

When Jesus seems distant or our problems threaten to overcome us, let us keep walking by faith. Trusting during a trial means waiting to see what good Jesus can bring out of what may seem like complete turmoil. We must remember that Christ uses trials to strengthen us for even greater service.

Amen.

Other Scriptures that address living by faith are: Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11.

Blessings!

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below.

Repentance and Sin: two of the most foundational words in the Christian faith. Both of these words
come into play at the inception of accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
However, often, as time goes on, the former word becomes the hardest to
implement. The purpose of this article is to shed a little light on
these two words: repentance and sin.

All about sin

What is sin – “Sin is lawlessness.” Sin is the breaking of the Law of God. 1 John 3:4 reads:

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. KJV

Sin is a transgression, an iniquity, an unrighteous act. It is a
deviation from God’s will. Sin is a form of evildoing since it is in
opposition to God’s decrees and desires. It is an open rebellion and
disobedience to what God has declared is right and all sin is unholy.
Sin can only be properly understood in relationship to God since God is
the holy one. God’s standard of moral perfection is what we are all
obligated to obey and when we do not, we have sinned. [1 Peter 1:16]

We all sin – Every person who’s ever lived, except for Jesus, commits sin (1 Pet. 2:22, 1 Jn. 1:8).

Rom 3:23 Reads:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; KJV

This is because of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden and we inherited
his sinful nature. This is why the Scripture says that sin entered the
world through one man, Adam (Rom. 5:12).

Scripture further says that we are by nature children of wrath (Eph.
2:3). In other words, because we are fallen in our sin natures we
deserve damnation. But God is merciful in that he sent Jesus to cleanse
us of our sins.

Sin is doing what is contrary to the revealed will of God. That is
the long and the short of it. If God says “Do not lie” and we lie, then
we have broken His law and sinned. Sin goes against the holy character
of God. How do we know? Because it goes against Law. One of the purposes of the law is to make us aware of sin and we need to be saved. The second, is to lead us to Chris.

The Law – The Law, then, is the standard of moral
purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. Sin is a perfect
standard because it is God’s standard. When we fail to keep the law, we
have sinned. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God

results in a judgment. When laws are broken, they have penalties.
Therefore, there is no law without a penalty. Therefore, breaking God’s
law brings judgment which is separation from God. Romans 6:23 reads:
“the wages of sin is death . . .” Therefore, to sin, to break God’s
law, results in judgment. If God did not judge the sinner, then He
would not be upholding His holiness; and he would be allowing sinners to
go unpunished. This is a pretty dismal picture—right?

The good news!

There is more to the story! The balance of Rom 6:23 reads: …”but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. KJV
God, in His love, mercy and grace made a way for man to be redeemed; a
way for us to be reconciled with God. But it took the shedding
of blood. Heb 9:22 reads: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

But God loves us so much that as it reads in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins. 1 Peter 2:24 reads:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye
were healed.

This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and paid
for them. He took the judgment upon himself. Further, it means that
anyone who trusts and believes in what Jesus did on the cross will have
his sins removed; he will be saved from God’s future judgment.

So, in response to the question “What is sin?” Sin is best answered by
saying that it is breaking God’s law. All of us have sinned.
Therefore, everyone is under God’s judgment – except for those who have
trusted in God’s provision to escape that judgment. We must also repent
of our sins.

What is biblical repentance

To repent means to turn from sin. The Greek word translated as
repent is metanoeoo, which means to change one’s mind. Repentance is a
heartfelt conviction to turn from wrong doing and do what is right.
Scripture says in Rom 6:15-18

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but
under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer
yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one
whom you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or
to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God
that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the
form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. NIV

Before we accept Christ, we are slaves to sin, but afterwards, we are to become slaves to righteousness.

This is part of what it means to be a Christian. We are not called to
continue in wrongdoing. We are called to repent, to stop sinning, to do
what is right—live righteous lives and honor God. Though we are not
saved by our repenting alone, our repentance is something that we do
when we forsake sin because we are trusting in Christ who died to
cleanse us from our sins. 1 John 1:9 Reads: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is a Scripture we Christians hold onto dearly—confession and
forgiveness. We hold onto this principal for dear life. But there’s
more to the story. There’s more to forgiveness than confession.

Let’s look at what confession is. Confession is an admission of
sins; an agreement with God that we have sinned against Him for which we
seek forgiveness.

When we first accept Christ, we are required to confess our sins as step one.

But we are also required to repent
of our sins as well. Matt 3:1-2 quotes John the Baptist as saying:

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

To repent is to turn away from sin; to make a radical change, to
change our minds about sin. This is what regeneration is all about.
Biblically, repentance means to turn from sin with a heartfelt desire to
change and not commit it again. This is what we are required to do.

Afterward we are still required to repent. Prov. 28:13 reads: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Notice what the Scripture says: confess and forsake. To forsake is to give up or leave entirely.

But often, as we move on in Christianity, we forget about step 2. We
confess, but not repent. We must constantly live in repentance; to
consciously reject sin. This power is given to us by the Holy Spirit
but we must exercise it—constantly. Sin is not forced upon us, but is
available.

This does not mean that we will never sin again. But remember the previous Scripture passage, Rom 6:15-18, we are no longer “slaves to sin.” This
means that we are not led by sin to purposely live sinful lives. We
are slaves to righteousness to purposely live righteous lives. Sin
should be an accident in a Christian’s life and we should be remorseful
about it. Therefore, when we do sin, we must acknowledge them and confess
them to God and ask for forgiveness through Christ.

But let us not forget step 2! Repent! To turn away from it with hopes to never repeat it again.

So when we confess…we must repent as well to “have mercy.”

Blessings!

Please feel free to leave any question or comment below. You may
also suggest any Biblical topic you would like covered on this site.

 

 

 

 

 There are two systems of theology that has been dividing the church for centuries: Calvinism and Arminianism. They are opposing doctrines of salvation.

These two systems of theology diverge at the foundational issue of human depravity.

How could there be such a divide on a fundamentally imperative tenant of Christianity? After all, salvation is what it’s all about. It is the very derivation—the root of being a Christian. So, which one is correct? In this article, we are going to take a look at Arminianism vs. Calvinism.

What is Calvinism

Calvinism is the theology that was a product of the Protestant Reformation and was largely defined by John Calvin (1509-1564). He was born in France, but lived most of his life in Geneva Switzerland. Though a contemporary of Martin Luther, he was a generation removed and the two never met. Calvin, like Martin Luther, formed theology that was based on an understanding of the errors of Roman Catholicism, in particular the belief in a works-based salvation. Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” which laid the foundation for his system of theology, was first published in 1536. This doctrine emphasizes God’s omnipotence, man’s depravity and the salvation of God’s elect by grace alone.

A proper understanding of Calvinism is fully dependent on understanding Calvin’s view of man’s depravity. He taught that man, (Adam), who once enjoyed perfect fellowship and communion with God, had his very nature changed through the fall into sin. This not only destroyed the communion between God and man, but also removed the ability of man to have communion with God. Man’s nature became so utterly corrupt as to leave him unable to choose against his nature. A fallen man is able to choose to do what he wants, but is unable to want God. There seems to be a misconception that Calvinists do not believe in man’s free will, but this is not the case. Calvinism teaches that free will exists, but is bound by a man’s nature. Man is a slave not to God, but to his own nature. Because man does not want God, he can never choose Him. [Refer to Rom 6:16- 18] Only God, in His Sovereign free will, can change man’s nature and make him capable of repentance.

The five points of Calvinism are often summarized in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.

Below is a brief discussion of each of those points. For each I have provided the Bible passages from which they are drawn. I have added a brief comment to each which explains how that passage is interpreted as verification according to Calvinists doctrine.

Total Depravity

Man’s will is held in captive to his nature. Man is free to choose according to the way his nature dictates, but his nature is so totally corrupt that he could never choose for good. He is free to choose, but he cannot go against his nature. With a sinful nature it is impossible to take an action that would be anything other than sinful and rebellious. It is impossible to choose a righteous or pleasing work capable of pleasing a holy God.

In the same way, God is able to choose according to His free will, but cannot contradict his nature, which is perfect. Therefore, God could never take an action that was anything but perfect and holy.

Genesis 6:5 – God saw that the intent of every heart was only repeated evil.
Genesis 8:21 – The intent of every heart is evil from childhood.
Isaiah 64:6-7 –Because of uncleanliness no one calls on God’s name or is stirred to take hold of God.
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and beyond cure.
John 3:19 – Even though light has arrived, men loved darkness rather than light because their hearts are evil.
Romans 3:10-18 – There is none righteous. There is none who seeks God. They all have turned away.
Romans 8:8 – Those that are controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 – The worldly man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God and cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned.
Ephesians 2:1-3 – God in His mercy made us alive when we were dead in our sin. We once walked in sin and were children of wrath.
2 Timothy 2:25,26 – We have been taken captive by the devil to do his will and if we are granted repentance God will bring us to our senses and help us escape.

Unconditional Election

Calvinists believe that God’s election is entirely unconditional and it is He who makes the ultimate choice for salvation. God foreknows who will be His elect and this is based on His decree, plan and purpose. He chooses people for His good pleasure and in His will. God brings His chosen people, through the Spirit, to a willing acceptance of Christ. His choice has nothing to do with man’s free will. God the Father chooses people for reasons we do not know or understand. God does not choose people because they would choose Him. He doesn’t choose them on that basis.

The Scriptural basis is as follows with interpretational verification:

Matthew 11:27 – No one knows the Father except the Son and the ones to whom the Son chooses to reveal.
Matthew 13:11 – To some it has been given to know God, but to others it has not.
Matthew 15:13 – God is the one who does the planting.
Matthew 20:23 – God has ordained who will sit at His right and His left.
Mark 13:20 – God chooses the elect.
Luke 10:21, 22 – God chooses to whom He will reveal the plan of salvation based on what seems good in His sight.
Luke 12:32 – It is God’s pleasure to give some the kingdom.
Luke 13:24 – Some will seek the kingdom but may not enter.
John 5:21 – The Son gives life to whom He pleases.
John 6:44 – No one can come to the Son except those who are drawn first by the Father.
John 6:65 – No one can come to the Son unless it has been decided by the Father.
John 8:43-47 – The children of the devil cannot comprehend Christ’s teaching.
John 10:26-30 – Christ’s sheep know His voice. Those who are not His sheep cannot follow Him.
John 12:37-40 – The people were kept from believing in order to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy.
John 13:18 – Christ knew who He had chosen. He did not choose Judas.
John 15:16 – Christ does the choosing.
John 17:6 – Some were given to Christ by the Father for eternal life.
Acts 13:48 – As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Romans 8:28-30 – Those who were predestined were called, glorified and justified.
Romans 9:11-13 – God chose Jacob before his birth, not based on his works.
Galatians 1:15 – Paul was set apart by God while in his mother’s womb.
Ephesians 1:3-5 – He chose us before the foundation of the world, having predestined us to adoption according to His will.
Ephesians 1:11 – We have been predestined according to His will to receive an inheritance.
Ephesians 2:4-7 – God made us alive while we were still dead in sin.
Colossians 1:26, 27 – It was God’s will to make Christ known to the saints.
Colossians 3:12 –God’s chosen people.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 – Knowing the election of God.
2 Thessalonians 13, 14 – From the beginning God chose some for salvation.
2 Timothy 1:9 – God saved us and called us according to His own purpose.
Hebrews 9:15 – Only those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
1 Peter 1:1, 2 – We are elected according to God’s foreknowledge and will.
1 Peter 2:7, 8 – Some have been predestined to hell.
Jude 4 – Some were predestined for condemnation.

Irresistible Grace

With Calvinism, there are two ways God calls people to repentance. The first is the outer call which is extended to anyone who hears the gospel. This can be and often is rejected. The second is the internal call which is extended only to the elect and can never be rejected. In the natural state an individual is spiritually dead and as dead men are incapable of responding to anything. Therefore, he or she must be brought to life before they can respond to God. The Holy Spirit, in cooperation with the electing will of the Father, in the fullness of time, gives the gift of salvation to the elect who are powerless to resist God’s grace. God then bestows to the recipients the faith which Christ secured for us at the cross. Finally, the Spirit leads them to cooperate with God and repent. The order of salvation is regeneration, followed by faith and finally repentance. The Spirit’s work of regeneration must precede both faith and repentance lest they be acts of man.

The Scriptural basis is as follows with interpretational verification:

John 6:37-39 – God has sent the elect to Christ.
John 6:44 – No one can come unless the Father draws him.
Ephesians 2:1-10 – While we were still dead in sin and trespasses, God made us alive.

Philippians 2:12-13 – God works in us the desire to do good for His good pleasure.
John 1:12-13 – We are born not of our own will but born of God.
Romans 8:8 – Those that are in the flesh cannot please God (which confirms that regeneration must precede faith and repentance).
Romans 9:19 – No one can resist God’s will.
1 Corinthians 15:10 – It is only by God’s grace that Paul was a believer.

Perseverance of the Saints (OSAS)

According to Calvinists, because God authors and finishes our faith, we cannot fall away from salvation. Having been born again, we cannot be unborn. The elect, then, will persevere in righteousness and will never fall away from God. If someone who once professed Christ no longer appears to, one of two things must be true. Either he is still a believer and has fallen away from following God for a time (though not from salvation), or he was never saved.

The Scriptural basis is a follows with interpretational verification:

Matthew 24:24 – It is impossible to deceive the elect to nullify their salvation. (See also Mark 13:22)
Luke 15:11-32 – The prodigal son falls away for a time, but not eternally.
John 3:36 – He who believes in the Son has everlasting life
John 4:14 – Whoever receives, drinks the water of Christ will never thirst again.
John 6:39 – It is God’s will that of all He gives to Christ, none should perish.
John 10:28 – Jesus gives believers eternal life and they shall never perish.
Romans 8:28-30 – Those whom God calls He also justifies and glorifies.
Romans 11:29 – The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable.
1 Corinthians 1:8 – Christ will confirm us to the end.
Philippians 1:6 – He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 – God, who calls us, is faithful and will preserve us until Christ comes.
2 Thessalonians 3:4 – Paul has confidence that God will preserve them.
2 Timothy 4:18 – The Lord will preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.
Hebrews 10:14 – By His offering Christ has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
1 John 2:19 – If they were of us they would have remained with us.
Revelation 3:5 – Names cannot be blotted from the book of life.

One thing to note regarding the Scriptures in the gospels: the timing was before the Holy Spirit was administered.

What is Arminianism

Arminianism is the theology of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) and Arminianism arose as a rejection of Calvinism and its doctrines of predestination and election. Arminius taught that God has given human individuals free will, and they are able to freely choose or reject salvation.

Jacobus Arminius (1559 – 1609) was born in The Netherlands and spent the majority of his life as a pastor in that country. His followers were known as the Remonstrants. From the beginning of his pastorate he came under fire for teaching theology that was contrary to Calvinism, which was already a well-established system of theology. He taught that individual free will and God’s sovereignty could be reconciled and also denied the doctrine of Irresistible Grace.

As Calvinism cannot be understood without a proper understanding of man’s depravity, so Arminianism is dependent on understanding individual free will. Armenians’ believe that God has given individuals free will in all areas. Although the term “free will” is widely used, there are different understandings of it. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as follows:

1. Voluntary choice or decision. 2. Freedom of individuals to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.

These definitions, though correct, do not expose the full meaning as it pertains to theology. For theological purposes the definition must be expanded. For a will to be truly free there must be must an alternative to what the person in question actually chose. A person who is presented with only one option does not truly have free will. Calvin taught that man is free to choose but only within the bounds of his nature (limited free will).However, Arminius believed that this was not true free will. For free will to exist man must be able to of his own accord choose or reject God.

The five points of Arminianism are: Free Will, Conditional Election, Universal Atonement, Obstructable Grace and Falling from Grace.

Below is a brief discussion of each of these points. For each I have provided the Bible passages from which they are drawn. I have added a brief comment to each which explains how that passage is interpreted as verification.

Free Will

Arminius taught that man’s fall into sin has not completely removed his ability to make a choice for or against God. Rather, man’s will is in a neutral state and is not able to choose only evil. The will is free to make a choice for either good or evil. In terms of salvation, the Holy Spirit draws people sufficiently and enlightens them enough that they can, of their own free will, choose salvation. However, He does not draw or enlighten them enough to force them into a decision.

Matthew 18:12, 13 – He rejoices if he finds one of the lost sheep.
Matthew 23:37 – Jesus desires to gather the people to Him but they are not willing.
Luke 15:11-32 – The prodigal son came to the realization of his depravity by himself.
John 3:16 – “whosoever believes in Him” would seem to indicate we choose to believe in Him.
John 5:40 – You are not willing to come to Me so you may have life; this involves choice.
John 7:17 – “If anyone chooses (wills) to do God’s will.” Indicative of choice.
Acts 2:37-38 – after asking what they should do, if they chose to repent and be baptized they would receive the Holy Spirit and be saved.
Acts 16:31 – Paul and Silas told the jailer that if he were to repent and baptized he would be saved, seemingly indicating that he was given the choice of repentance.
Romans 10:9 – Free will is indicated in that we are told that if we believe with our hearts and confess with our lips we will be saved.

Conditional Election

Arminians believe and teach that God’s election is based upon his foreknowledge that a person would choose to be saved. In the broad scope of eternity God can see those who would choose Christ and in response to this act of individual free will, God in turn chose them and called them the elect. We see that election is conditional upon free will because God has to see that a person will make a free will decision in the future before He is able to impart salvation to that person. The decision to be saved, then, is ultimately an individual’s decision initially and not an act of God. God ultimately responds to that decision.

Romans 8:29 – Those who He foreknew, He predestined.
Romans 11:2 – God foreknew His people.
1 Peter 1:1, 2 – Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father; “through the sanctifying work of the spirit through the obedience of Christ.” This is by the choice of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Universal Atonement

When Christ died he took upon Himself every sin for every individual being throughout time. This is not to say, however, that all individuals are saved. Therefore, Christ’s sacrifice does not actually save individuals but only provides the potential for every individual to be saved. Christ’s death will only provide salvation when it is completed by a free will decision made by an individual. A simple formula to express this would be, Christ’s sacrifice + man’s free will choice = salvation. Salvation cannot be completed without both of the pieces being in place. Again we see that atonement is conditional upon free will, as individuals are able to freely choose or reject atonement.

John 1:12 – Those who received him were given the right to become the children of God.
John 1:29 – John calls Jesus the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” not solely the sin of the elect.
John 3:16 – God so loved the world, not only the elect.
John 12:32 – I will draw all peoples too myself. He draws, we accept (or not).
Matthew 18:14 – It is not God’s will that any of His sheep should perish.
Romans 11:32 – So God might have mercy on all.
1 Corinthians 15:22 – As all fell in Adam so all are saved in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 – One died for all.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 – God desires all to be saved and gave His Son as a ransom for all.
1 Timothy 4:10 – God is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.
Hebrews 2:9 – Christ tasted death for everyone.
2 Peter 2:1 – Jesus “bought” even the false prophets.
2 Peter 3:9 – God does not will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and be saved.
1 John 2:2 – Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

Obstructable Grace

The fourth foundation of Arminian teaching is that God never forces salvation upon anyone. Though the Holy Spirit is instrumental in salvation, He does not force anyone into repentance. The Spirit merely encourages people who are then free to choose for or against the gift of salvation.

The process of salvation is this: The Spirit encourages people. Man in his free will chooses to believe in Christ accepting Him as Lord and Savior. Having believed, he then begins to exercise faith. As a result of these actions, the Holy Spirit regenerates him. Faith, therefore, precedes regeneration and is actually the cause of regeneration. Faith is what allows the Holy Spirit to do His regenerative work in the new believer. As with the other points, we see that free will is fundamental.

Matthew 23:37 – Christ longed to gather Jerusalem, but they were not willing.
Luke 7:30 – The Pharisees and lawyers chose to reject God’s will for themselves.
John 1:12 – To those who received Him who already believed in His name, He then gave the right to become children of God.
John 3:18-21 – Man has to choose between light and darkness.
John 5:40 – We can refuse to go to God and receive life.
Acts 7:51 – We can resist the Spirit as our fathers did.
2 Corinthian 6:1 – Do not receive the grace of God in vain.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Do not quench the Spirit. We can even choose to put out the Spirit‘s fire.

Fall from Grace

Because man has free will and in the process of salvation can choose for or against God, it must then be possible to fall away from this grace. God can never impose His will upon us so that we lose our free will. It follows, then, that we must be free to accept or reject this grace at any time. This is a necessary conclusion since man must be as free to reject God’s grace and leave God’s kingdom, as he was to accept God’s grace and enter the kingdom. Again, we see that this belief is entirely dependent on free will.

Matthew 5:13 – Salt can lose its saltiness (also Mark 9:50).
John 15:1-7 – Vines can be cut off and burned if they don’t bear fruit.
Romans 11:22 – If we don’t continue to grow in goodness we will be cut off.
2 Corinthians 11:4 – The people had fallen away but Paul attempted to bring them back.
Galatians 5:4 – Paul says that those who have tried to be justified by the law had fallen from grace.
Hebrews 6:4-6 – The passage discusses how it is possible, after accepting, to fall away from God.
2 Peter 1:8-10 – It is possible to forget our salvation. We can choose to close our eyes to the truth (vs. 9).
2 Peter 2:20-22 – It is better to have not ever known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn away from it.
Revelation 2:5 – God threatens to remove the church’s lampstand, indicating judgment, if they do not repent.

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My response

So which one is correct? My response would make this post too lengthy. Therefore, my response can be found in the next post entitled: Arminianism vs. Calvinism: my response

Please feel free to leave any questions or remarks below. It will be greatly appreciated.

Blessings!