Christianity 101- Part 6: Sanctification and Discipleship

New Christians that have been saved by Jesus Christ will experience a feeling of gratitude, joy and love for Christ in their hearts for the mercy they have received (1 Peter 1:8). The Spirit of God dwells in believers (Romans 8:9-11) and enables them with divine power to be sanctified. The process of sanctification in believers is a work of the Holy Spirit that gradually transforms sinners to increasingly mortify sin and live unto righteousness. He empowers new Christians to become disciples by following the teachings of Christ and performing good works. While it is primarily a work of God’s grace, believers can and should co-operate in their sanctification. True Christians do participate in sanctification to varying degrees. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that true Christians return a yield of one hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. Scripture does not leave any wiggle room for someone to claim Christ as savior, but deny him as Lord by refusing to co-operate in sanctification. This so-called carnal Christian view of a true believer is a myth and is refuted by many passages of Scripture such as (James 2:14). Christians may grieve the Holy Spirit and fall into sin for a season, but they will gain the victory over the bondage of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s discipline.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command? (John 14:15 ).” The Bible is full of warnings of things to avoid (Rom 12) and things to do such as love, forgive, serve, give, etc. These Biblical exhortations to good works are sometimes mistakenly thought to be the cause of justification by God. However, good works are the fruit of the grace of justification that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is what saves sinners, not their works in the sanctification process. Sanctification happens in a Christian because Jesus Christ not only saves sinners form the penalty of sin, but He also saves them from the power of sin (Romans 6).

As new Christians begin their walk of sanctification and discipleship they participate in and practice activities like worship, Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and witnessing. These activities are not burdens but bring joy and peace to Christians in their Christian walk.

Praise God that the power of his grace is sufficient to not only save sinners but also sanctify them.

This series first appeared at Bluecollar Blog!

Christianity 101- Part 5: Saving faith

Sometimes the word faith is used in the Bible to represent a body of doctrine such as Jude 3 that exhorts us to contend for the faith. Faith is also sometimes used to express a belief that God will answer prayers of a temporal nature. Often faith is expressed as a mere mental assent much like a belief in a historical fact. The Bible tells us that eternal life comes by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and is a free gift of God. But what is the definition of the faith that saves?

Saving faith is that faith and trust a sinner puts in the atonement of Jesus Christ to pay his sin debt. Scripture tells us, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins? (1 John 4:10). Saving faith is the instrument or means by which a person gains access to eternal life that the atonement of Jesus Christ secures. This faith is a gift of God and will also be accompanied by the gift of repentance (Eph 2:8-9 & Acts 11:18). Scripture is clear that honoring God with lip service, and not from the heart, is not saving faith (Matthew 15:8, James 2:17). Therefore, a person that has been given the gift of saving faith has crossed from death unto life due to being regenerated (born again) with power by the Holy Spirit of God (John 3:3). By virtue of this power and their new God given nature, Christians will have a new attitude and a new focus that will result in a Christian walk according to the Spirit with minds that are set on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:4-5 & Eph. 10). Christians will also be very thankful to God for the mercy and salvation that has been given to them from God.

Therefore, the definition of a true Christian is a person that has saving faith as described above. Just as the photo above shows, being a disciple by following Jesus, performing good works, and Christian service flow from being a true Christian. However, performance of Christian service do not make one a true Christian as works and deeds cannot justify (save) a person. Justification (being saved) is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and it is the amazing grace of God.

Next in Part 6 we will look at the Christian discipleship that flows from the power of God’s grace.

Christianity 101- Part 4: Jesus

Jesus is the eternal infinite son of God as John revealed in John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word in this passage is referring to Jesus. In verse 14 we are told that the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us. He was and is fully God and fully man and he entered history as a real historical person about 2000 years ago.

In the past few years there has been a lot of speculation on what would Jesus do in this or that situation. While this is good in keeping Jesus visible in an increasingly hostile culture, the far more important question is what did Jesus do when he came to earth as a man. In today’s culture we hear a lot about the teachings of Jesus and his love and compassion. He also healed the sick and lame and even raised the dead. While these acts are true and more proof of the deity of Christ, they are not the reason he came to earth. The reason he came to earth was to save his people from their sins….. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). John the Baptist said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) To make atonement and redeem a people he had to be fully God, so as to give the atonement infinite value, and fully man to perfectly satisfy the requirements of God’s law, thus becoming an acceptable substitute for sinners. The atonement that Christ made for our sins has the power to save us from the righteous wrath of God and is infinitely the most important thing Jesus did while on earth. The resurrection of Jesus was the proof for this fact, as Paul states in Acts 17:31. The prophet Isaiah prophesized about this 700 years before it happened when he said in Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of those redeemed by his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary and He offers eternal life as a free gift. This is the amazing grace that we sing about. But how do humans gain access to this grace? Does everyone receive eternal life?

Next in Part 5 we will look at how man gains access to this grace.

This series first appeared at Bluecollar Blog!

Bluecollar Team Blog

Be sure and check out Bluecollar team Blog where Jazzycat and seven other contributors post articles and devotionals on a daily basis.......

Christianity 101- Part 3: Man

Man is a sinner due to his fallen nature. Scripture points this out beginning in Genesis and continuing through Revelation. Paul paints the picture extensively from Romans 1:18 through Romans 3:20 and empirical evidence confirms biblical teaching on the sinfulness of human beings. The Bible reveals there is no one righteous and that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). God’s standard of righteousness is perfection (Matthew 5:48) and not man’s erroneous worldly standard of being a basically good person. Perfection means that man cannot meet this standard and, as a result, man cannot save himself from the wrath of God by his good works (Romans 3:20 and Gal. 2:16). Since God does not grade on a curve, but on an absolute scale of perfection, being ‘basically good’ will not be sufficient on judgment day. Isaiah tells us that even man’s best works are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).

In Luke 18:25-27 Jesus confirms that it is impossible for man to save himself, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." In this passage Jesus not only states that it is impossible for men to save themselves, but also gives the fantastic news that God can solve the problem and save sinners. Romans 6:23 gives the bad news for sinners in the first part of the verse and the good news in the second half of the verse where it says, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is the great fantastic news of the gospel. But what about man’s sin that God must punish? Does God simply reduce the penalty? Do all men universally receive the gift of eternal life? What does Jesus Christ have to do with solving this dilemma?

Next in Part 4 we will look at how God solved the problem that men are incapable of solving.

This series first appeared at Bluecollar Blog

Christianity 101- Part 2: God

God has revealed much information about Himself and His creation in His Word, The Holy Bible. The Bible begins as follows: “In the beginning, God created.” God unilaterally created the world and everything in it is the message of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Paul gave the men of Athens the same message (Acts 17:24). In this creation He chose to make human beings with a free will and the ability to choose good or evil.

God has revealed much about His attributes and His character in His Word. A major theme in Scripture is that God is all-powerful, sovereign, and in total control of His creation. The Bible has revealed many other things about God such as His holiness, love, mercy, truthfulness, faithfulness, justice, righteous anger, wrath and hatred of sin. Sin is basically disobeying God. God told the first humans that He took sin very seriously and gave them only one thing to obey. They were given a paradise and everything they could possibly need but were told they would surely die if they disobeyed this one rule. Everyone knows the story of what happened. They were tempted by Satan and disobeyed. While He loves mankind (1 John 4:8) and does not take pleasure in punishing us, He is a God of truth and justice and must punish sin (Romans 6:23). Therefore, God’s holiness meant He was true to His word and carried out the penalty of death exactly as He said He would. As a result of this sin, Adam and his posterity instantly died spiritually and physical death became the destiny of the human race. The earth became subject to bondage (Romans 8:20-22) and man was banished into the world to toil as a result. The fellowship that man had with God was severed because God takes His glory, honor and character very seriously.

Fortunately for mankind, God gave a glimpse of His mercy and love when He told Satan in (Genesis 3:15) “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." With that statement God hinted at a plan of redemption for the human race. As Biblical revelation unfolded, it became more and more clear that God did have a plan of redemption for mankind.

Next in Part 3 we will look at the character of man.

Christianity 101- Part 1: Atheist asks question.

The following post title appeared on an atheist’s blog: One possible way to convert us atheists. He started the post by asking this question. “What is a true Christian and is it possible for anyone to be a true Christian?”

Then he listed the things that it would take for a church to impress him enough to make him consider Christianity. Everything he listed had to do with doing good works, helping the poor, etc without any mention of sin, faith, atonement, worship, prayer, salvation and other gospel essentials. He concluded his view of how Christians should be conducting church by stating, “So, until I start seeing churches pop up that fit my model, I’m not having anything to do with religion or God.” It is interesting that he uses the phrase, “until I start seeing” in his summary statement and then demands churches fit his model. Most atheist bloggers that I have visited are people that hold to a liberal secular post-modern world-view and are very critical of Christian or other world-views. His model of church fits his world-view and his god would necessarily have to be one created in his image.

Since it is obvious this particular atheist does not see or have a clue about the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am going to do a few posts on his question asking what is a true Christian. I will call this series Christianity 101. I will attempt to give a basic uncomplicated presentation of the gospel message for anyone that does not know the gospel or possibly has a wrong understanding of the gospel.

For starters, Christianity recognizes only two kinds of people in the world and they are Christians and non-Christians. If a person is not a true Christian, then he is not Christian period. Many of the non-Christians in the world will become Christians before they die, but no Christian will become a non-Christian. Those people that die as Christians will be saved and the rest will die un-saved. We know that some people will remain blind and will never see, but humans have no way of knowing where God will give grace and enable, through divine power, spiritually blind people to see. Therefore, we are to take the gospel to the entire world as Jesus commanded and present the gospel to everyone. The photo above shows a bride that needs and hopes for true love. The bride of Christ requires and will consist of true Christians that will be gathered from every tongue and tribe in the world. Later in this series, the definition of a true Christian will be given.

Next in Part 2 we will take a look at power and character of God.

This series first appeared at Bluecollar Blog

Bluecollar Team Blog

There are some great discussions in progress over at Bluecollar team blog

Eternal Security

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Many single verses have great truths for believers. It is important to identify and rest on the truth found in a verse without reading something into it that is not there. John 6:47 is one of those verses. What truths can be gleaned from John 6:47?

Here are some of the basic truths from this verse:
1. When Jesus says truly, truly or verily, verily then this is a truth that can be depended on and is important.
2. “whoever believes” means there are no gender, racial, or any other restrictions on the kind of people that may be included. It does not speak to man’s ability to come to faith. It does not affirm ability to believe or deny it.
3. “whoever believes has eternal life” means that anyone that believes has eternal life. Eternal life is a done deal for whoever believes.

Truths one and two are complete and really need no more information. However, the truth in #3 does not explain what is to be believed. For example: Believing that Jesus was just a great teacher without believing that he was God and died an atoning death for sinners does not satisfy what is to be believed to have eternal life. It would satisfy believing a historical fact about Jesus and that Jesus lived, but it would be worthless for redemption. One must look elsewhere in John and Scripture to get the information that must be believed in order to secure eternal life. John in context and other Scriptures make it clear that trusting through faith alone in God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, for dying on the cross and paying the sin debt for sinners and rising from the dead to purchase eternal life is what is to be believed. This information is not hidden and easily found, but John 6:47 does not give this information. To assert that John 6:47 gives all the information one needs for salvation is misleading.

This verse is sometimes used as a proof against predestination and for man’s ability to come to salvation apart from the effectual call. However, it is neutral on this doctrine. It is silent on man’s ability to come to faith on his own without God doing a work in their heart. Just like John 3:16, it neither confirms or denies predestination. There are verses in John 6 that speak to this point, but verse 47 merely gives an external call.

While this verse does not give all of the information about what is to be believed, it gives conclusive proof for eternal security or what is also called perseverance of the saints. Therefore, the great truth that this verse contains is eternal security. Whether you call it eternal security or perseverance of the saints, John 6:47 confirms that eternal life is a present possession of those that believe at the moment of belief. Salvations cannot be lost. Again this verse does not give the details, but elsewhere in Scripture we learn that eternal security is a work of God. God through the work of the Holy Spirit makes spiritually dead people alive and enables them to respond in faith with repentance and sanctification. God does it all and he is 100% successful. John 6:47 gives us a great truth, but it does not give the whole story of redemption.

Grace is Irresistible

John 6:37: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

In the photo above, Jazzycat is chasing a squirrel even though she has an all you can eat buffet available 24/7. The desire to chase this squirrel is irresistible because of her God given predator nature. There are several truths in John 6:37, including the eternal security of believers and election. However, let’s focus on the first half of this verse where Jesus states: “All that the Father gives me will come to me.” We know that all human beings do not believe and come to Christ and, from verse 35, we know that coming to Christ has the same meaning as believing in Christ. Those that believe in Christ and come to Christ have eternal life. Therefore, the Father gives Jesus people who will come and receive eternal life, and all (100%) will come. The inescapable conclusion is that God intervenes and plants an irresistible desire for some to come and believe, but He does not plant this desire in everyone. If it were not irresistible, then it would not be 100% effective. If it is 100% effective, then some do not receive this desire to come. Therefore, this intervention implants a saving grace that is irresistible and that is why Jesus said, “All that the Father gives to me will come to me.” Irresistible grace gives a sinner an irresistible desire to willingly come to faith in Jesus Christ. This grace is imparted during regeneration and that is why Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:3) and Paul said that faith is a gift (Eph. 2:8). Just like Jazzycat has a God given nature and a desire to willingly be a predator, a born again sinner has a God given new nature and a desire to willingly come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Grace does more than make salvation possible: it actually saves sinners. Amazing grace. If God gives His grace to bring sinners to faith, it is logical that grace will carry them home (Romans 8:30).

This is part four of five parts of a series that originally ran at Bluecollar Team Blog on the doctrines of grace.

Particular Redemption

Matthew 20:28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The photo above shows a barely noticeable scar from a smallpox vaccination from many years ago. With advances in medicine we have more and more vaccines to protect us from all kinds of diseases. Since humans have no way of knowing who will be exposed to these various diseases, we attempt to vaccinate all that we possibly can. If human beings possessed the foreknowledge that God has, we would need to vaccinate only those who would actually be exposed to the disease. With this same foreknowledge, Jesus gave his life for the many that his atonement redeemed and them only.

Since God does have this foreknowledge of exactly who will be redeemed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the verse above indicates that Jesus Christ came to the earth to serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many who are saved by the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Everyone agrees that the atonement of Jesus Christ is of infinite value and sufficient to save an infinite number of people. Some argue that Christ died for everyone. In this view, the atonement makes salvation possible for everyone, but actually saves no one. This, the Arminian view, limits the power or effectiveness of the atonement by leaving salvation up to human decision. This view leaves open the possibility of no one being saved and Jesus dying in vain. The reformed view does not limit the power as it holds that all that Christ died for (the many in Mt. 20:28) will be saved. This view limits the extent of the atonement by affirming that Christ died for only those that God chose before the foundation of the world. Jesus in the high priestly prayer said, “John 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” After reading this entire prayer in John 17, it is hard to believe that the atonement of Jesus was meant for anyone other than those redeemed by faith in his sacrificial death on the cross.

In Mt. 20:28 above Jesus died for the ‘many’. This either refers to believers only or everyone that has ever lived. Since the passage speaks of his death providing a ransom (redemption) for the many, this passage teaches universalism if the ‘many’ includes everyone that has ever lived. Therefore, since Scripture clearly does not teach universalism, this passage teaches that the atonement of Jesus was for believers only. This is referred to as limited atonement or particular redemption.

Praise God that Jesus’ atonement on the cross saves sinners. Jesus saved all the sinners he intended to save (John 6:37) and that is everyone that place their faith in him for paying their sin debt on the cross.

Unconditional election

Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

On the the previous post, we looked at how Scripture teaches that fallen man has an inability to seek God. Therefore, if man cannot in and of himself seek God as Romans 3:10-11 indicates, then no one would have eternal life unless God does something. Praise God that he does intervene and do something. That something God does, as John 6:37 reveals, is give an irresistible grace that flows from regeneration. The new life of regeneration enables a sinner to willingly and eagerly come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

When the dots of these doctrines are connected, the inescapable conclusion is that God chooses, or elects, some to receive the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. All are invited and nobody is turned away, but unless God enables sinners to come and receive the free gift of eternal life, nobody will respond (John 6:65). However, the Bible does more than leave election as a conclusion drawn from other doctrines as it plainly states that God’s sovereign election is the only way to salvation. Ephesians 1:3-6, shown above, states that some sinners are chosen by God and are predestined to be adopted as sons of God. Amazingly, this passage reveals that sinners were chosen before the foundation of the world. A close look at this passage, as well as other passages such as Romans 8:29-30 & Ephesians 2:1-5, makes it clear that God does everything and man does nothing. Salvation is totally a gift of God’s grace as God gives everything required for salvation to the sinner. That is why the Bible says that even the faith to believe is a gift (Ephesians 2:8). Since those elected by God do not provide anything for their salvation, this election is an unconditional election. God’s election is not based on any merit or works in the sinner, whatsoever, which eliminates all boasting (Ephesians 2:9). If a sinner believes he brings anything (even faith) to the salvation table, then he has a reason to boast.

This doctrine is referred to as Calvinism and critics often attack it as if it were a figment of John Calvin’s imagination. However, this doctrine is a Biblical doctrine based on solid Biblical passages. Praise God that he makes it possible for sinners to receive eternal life by providing all that is needed for salvation. If he didn’t do it all, then nobody would be saved and that is the bottom line.

This is part two of five parts of a series that originally ran at Bluecollar Team Blog on the doctrines of grace.

Total Inability

Romans 3:10-11 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

When a sinner seeks God and comes to place his faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, this person receives the free gift of eternal life. In Romans 3:10-11, Paul is stating unequivocally that no one seeks God. That means 0.0% of sinners seek God on their own. In Romans 8:8 Paul even says it is impossible for sinners to please God, which would certainly include seeking God. Jesus says it is impossible for sinners to seek God unless God has enabled them (John 6:65). Paul refers to this condition as being dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). He means that sinners are not just seriously ill, but they are dead to spiritual concerns such as seeking God in and of themselves.

Therefore, it is evident that man is unable to come to salvation unless God does something. Man has a total inability in and of himself to seek or come to God unless God intervenes. The cat (Jazzy's sister Cuffy) in the above picture may appear to be reading the book, but she does not have the ability to do so. She may as well be blind as far as reading and understanding anything in the book. Sinners are also blind to the things of God because they are spiritually dead and must be quickened by the power of God to new life before they can respond in any way. This quickening power of God is called grace, and it is irresistible as John 6:37 points out.

Conclusion: Nobody seeks God in and of themselves because they are dead in sin and unable to respond unless God intervenes. This intervention is called grace and is applied by the Holy Spirit.

Praise God that he does not leave sinners in their hopeless condition of total inability.

This is part one of five parts of a series that originally ran at Bluecollar Team Blog on the doctrines of grace.

Psalm 23 Photo Devotionals

1. Psalm 23 verse 1

2. Psalm 23 verse 2

3. Psalm 23 verse 3

4. Psalm 23 verse 4

5. Psalm 23 verse 5

6. Psalm 23 verse 6















































































xxx

Romans 3:31 (The good news)

Romans 3:31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

After making an emphatic case that justification (being saved) is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, Paul asks if we should toss the law overboard. His answer is an equally emphatic by no means. God’s righteous law is the standard by which godliness and righteousness can be measured, and humans are not able to meet this standard of perfection that is required. Praise God that Jesus Christ met these standards for all who place their faith in Him and his work on the cross of Calvary. Men can, therefore, be counted as righteous because of Christ. Through the Holy Spirit and regeneration, men are saved from their sin and not left to wallow helplessly in it. In the New Covenant the law has been restated by Jesus and the Apostles and saved sinners are enabled by the Holy Spirit to participate in their own sanctification. Believers are not perfect in this endeavor and fail often, but over time they progress toward a goal of more and more actual righteousness. They have a desire for progress and that is why Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”

Jesus and the Apostles taught ethics and principles that have the law as a foundation. Christians aspire to be conformed to these ethics and principles. They do it due to a new attitude that is derived from the heart of flesh that was given to them when the Holy Spirit quickened them from spiritual death to life. Do Christians overthrow the law because it condemns and cannot save? No, they love the law because it is the perfect standard of righteousness that they hunger and thirst to achieve.

Praise God that believers are being conformed to the image of Christ during their sanctification and at death this conformity is made perfect as believers are glorified.

Romans 3:29-30 (The good news)

Romans 3:29-30 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Paul is pointing to one, and only one, way to salvation for all people. Both Jews and Gentiles are saved through faith alone. In the book of Romans, Paul explains over and over that there is only one people of God and they are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. The covenant promise is for the elect, and the elect are the true Israel of God. The true Israel of God is the elect remnant of ethnic Israel and the elect of the Gentiles from every tongue and tribe in the world. The non-believers of ethnic Israel and the non-believers of Gentiles are in the same boat of being unsaved. There are no spiritual covenants that include entire nations, and there are no spiritual covenants that necessarily include entire family or church groups. God saves individuals and not groups or nations.

One promise, one people, one means of salvation, one destiny. There are no other roads to the mountaintop and no other means that men can be made right with God. God has provided the way to be saved from his holy and righteous wrath, and all the ways that men may devise or imagine are simply worthless.

Praise God that he provided one way for human beings to have eternal life. How ludicrous it is for anyone to complain that God does not accept the false Gods of their imagination.

Romans 3:27-28 (The good news)

Romans 3:27-28 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

At the Neshoba County Fair, boasting is the order of the day when politicians begin justifying why they should be elected to the various state offices. During the campaigning period, candidates offer their qualifications of experience, education, honesty, etc. as the reasons they should be judged worthy to hold the office that they seek. On Election Day candidates are judged by the voters as to their fitness to hold office. The winners rejoice, have victory parties, and boast even more of having gotten their message out. This strategy of boasting is also used in many other endeavors of American life as people strive to succeed and get ahead. Many are honest about their qualifications, abilities, and the products they sell which is good and the way a perfect temporal world should operate.

But, Paul emphatically explains in this passage that boasting is excluded in spiritual matters concerning salvation. Works of the law or one’s deeds of service do not count toward justification. Man is justified (saved) by faith apart from works. Faith plus works, faith plus baptism, or faith plus anything does not work together to save sinners. Sinners are saved by faith alone, and even that faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). If sinners contributed anything to their salvation, then boasting would be possible. However, sinners do not provide anything and God provides everything in salvation, which excludes boasting.

Praise God that He saves sinners completely.

Romans 3:25b-26 (The good news)

Romans 25b-26 This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God, in His divine patience and forbearance, waited until the incarnation of Jesus to pour out his righteous wrath upon the sins of all the redeemed from the Old Testament era. God carried out his divine justice against the sin of the redeemed on the cross of Calvary by pouring out his wrath on Jesus. By being fully God, the atonement of Jesus had infinite value which is sufficient to cover all the sins of all the redeemed that will ever live. By being fully man and perfect in every way, he was able to qualify as a substitute for all humans that cling through faith to the work and person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, God is righteous, just, and holy by punishing sin as he stated he would do, and He is also the justifier of all who claim Jesus as their Lord and savior through faith. Sin is punished, sinners are saved, God’s love and mercy are displayed, and God is glorified.

A college World Series berth was riding on whether the umpire in the above photo called this runner safe or out at home. On judgment day, God will call every human being that ever lived either safe or out. Those that are found in Christ Jesus through faith will be safe at home. Everyone else will be out and no instant replays will be needed. Many in the group that are called out will claim all kinds of religious responses to God, and some will even claim to be followers of Christ by virtue of their deeds and works.

Praise God that being safe at home is a free gift of God to all that have faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross rather than having faith in their own deeds. Eternal life waits for all that are safe at home. I would urge you to accept God’s free gift of eternal life and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. There is no other way. Being called out at home will not be a pleasant experience on judgment day.

Christianity 101

Christianity 101 index

Christianity 101 - Part 1: Atheist asks question.

Christianity 101 - Part 2: God

Christianity 101 - Part 3: Man

Christianity 101 - Part 4: Jesus

Christianity 101 - Part 5: Saving Faith

Christianity 101 - Part 6: Sanctification and Discipleship

Romans 3:22b-25a (The good news)

Romans 3:22b-25A For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Paul makes clear that salvation comes by grace that God gives as a free gift. This gift is bought and paid for by the redemption that Christ Jesus secured on the cross of Calvary. God satisfied his righteous wrath by making his own son, who had no sin, pay the penalty for the sins of the redeemed. Just as God had done in the garden by providing covering for Adam and Eve, he covered the sins of his people by providing a blood sacrifice. God will not allow His character to be violated and so sin has to be punished. Thank God that his amazing grace provided a lamb without blemish to pay the debt that sinners cannot pay. Jesus paid it all and, through faith in His atonement, the blood of the Lamb redeems sinners.

Sin, God, wrath, penalty, Jesus Christ, atonement, redemption, justification, propitiation, grace, faith, gift, eternal life…… When the dots of all these doctrines are connected, it is clear that Jesus Christ saves sinners that believe and have faith that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins.

Have you placed your faith in Jesus to cover your sins or are you going to make your own arrangements on judgment day? Choose wisely.

Romans 3:21-22A (The good news)

Romans 3:21-22a But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

In the photo above, the moon gives the appearance of glowing as if it were producing its own light. However, the light that is seen is actually coming from the sun. Paul begins an explanation of the good news of the gospel by asserting that men can have righteousness from God through faith in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is not dependent on the law or on anything men can do in and of themselves. Just like moonlight does not come from the moon, this required righteousness does not come from men. Moonlight comes from the sun and the required righteousness comes from Jesus Christ.

Paul has just finished a lengthy portion of Scripture where he has pointed out that all men are ungodly and unrighteous and have absolutely no hope or desire to become righteous. They are under the wrath of God and do not have the ability to reconcile themselves to God. Man has, in fact, offended a holy and just God and cannot save himself from God’s wrath and just penalty. But now, as Paul says, God has intervened and provided what man cannot acquire on his own. He has provided the righteousness of God that is acquired through faith. Further, The Old Testament has pointed to this from the beginning of the Scriptures.

Praise God that He provides what he requires for reconciling sinful mankind to himself.

Doctrines of Grace Index

1. Total Inability

2. Unconditional Election

3. Particular Redemption (Limited Atonement)

4. Irrestible Grace

5. Perseverance of the Saints (Eternal Security)

Romans 3:19-20 (First, the bad news)

Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The law speaks to all who are under the law and gives them knowledge of sin that renders them without excuse. Since the performance standard that God requires for keeping the law is perfection, it is painfully obvious to everyone that nobody can keep every point perfectly. In this passage Paul warns that all who attempt to justify themselves before God by their own effort of law keeping will fail. This failure places them squarely under the wrath of God. Experts who attempt class 6 whitewater rapids (photo above) with the latest safety gear face a possibility of death. However, even non-experts with physical limitations would have a better chance in these rapids than they would have trying to justify themselves by perfect law keeping.

Since he began this section in Romans 1:18, Paul has shown that all human beings are totally depraved, ungodly, and unrighteous. He has shown that God’s wrath is set upon all that are unrighteous and ungodly. This is a serious problem that humans face. As a matter of fact it is the most serious problem they will ever encounter. After a lengthy explanation of this problem, in these two verses Paul is basically telling us that men are powerless to do anything about the problem. Man is under God’s wrath because of a debt that he cannot pay. God is holy and has sworn to execute His justice for the sins of man. Therefore, He will not just wink and make everything O.K.

While this is a tremendous problem that man cannot solve, praise God that it is a problem that He can and, in fact, does solve for many. Paul, in verse 21, begins the great fantastic good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners. Sadly, there are millions of people who think that on judgment day they will have salvation because they have tried to be a good person. Instead of relying on Jesus Christ, they are relying on the very thing that Paul says in this verse has no chance of success.

We will begin the good news in our next post.

Historic Church vs. Scripture

In my May 20 post I quoted an Emergent Church pastor, Mike Clawson. Part of what he said is as follows:

"I believe that Jesus death on the cross was a demonstration that God had forgiven our sins, not the reason God forgave them. That is, I find the conservative theology of sacrificial atonement rather repugnant (as many of you do as well I’ve noticed), but I do still think that the cross was more than just a moral example (though it was that too)."

In the comment thread of that post he said the following about those of us that believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary for payment of our sin debt is the means by which eternal life is offered to those that place their faith in Jesus Christ:

"Sadly you guys are living up to your reputation of ignorance and condemnation of those who differ from you. My advice (not that you're likely to care) is to familiarize yourself with what the historic Church has said about the atonement and not limit yourself just to what Calvin taught about it."

My ignorance about what the historic Church has said about the atonement means nothing. I believe in the principle of Sola Scriptura. It is my only rule of faith and practice and I need not go any further. My view comes directly from Scripture and not Calvin, the historic Church, or anyone else. I have not condemned you, I have refuted you as Scripture calls me to do where in Titus 1:9 it says to encourage sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Instead of relying on what the historic Church or other “scholars” might say, I suggest you check what the Bible very clearly teaches. Please check out the Scripture passages at the end of the following article.

The Lamb of God

The core theme of the Old Testament is that God chose the nation of Israel to bring redemption to some of fallen mankind. Due to God’s justice, this redemption required atonement for sin in the form of a blood sacrifice. Thus, a system of animal sacrifice was set up by God, through his prophets, to prefigure the ultimate sufficient sacrifice that Christ would make for the atonement of sin since animal sacrifice cannot atone for sin. For God to sacrifice his own son to satisfy his justice is a most unbelievable display of his love and mercy. In Genesis 22:8 this is vividly pointed out when Abraham told his son Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” While Abraham was referring to what he thought was going to be the sacrifice of his son Isaac, it points to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. Seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah predicted in chapter 53, and elsewhere, this ultimate sacrifice. In verse 7 Isaiah said, “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” The sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ as a propitiation for human sin is the central theme to all of Christian theology. Doctrine after doctrine lead back to the cross and the crucifixion of Christ. The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about Christ is shown in its most concise form in Romans 3:19-31. Salvation is from God and is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Faith is the key that opens the door to heaven and eternal life.

The following verses are but some in the Bible on the subject of atonement:

Leviticus 5:6 and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

1 Chronicles 28:11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement.

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Colossians 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-

Hebrews 2:17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 13:11-12 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Hebrews 10:11-12 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Romans 3:10-18 (First, the bad news)

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

The world says that man is basically good, but empirical evidence, such as the many millions of war and murder victims in cemeteries worldwide, proves this to be false. This does not count the approximately 50 million aborted babies that never received a grave. In this powerful passage, Paul sums up his explanation on the total depravity of man by saying that no one is righteous, does good, or even understands. This does not mean that men are as utterly depraved as they possibly could be, but it means that depravity is pervasive in our hearts, thinking, speaking, and actions. We sin by word, deed, actions, and inactions. We are all guilty and subject to the wrath of God. The following items are some of the problems and sins common to fallen man, and everyone has struggled with some items on this list:

murders, robberies, rapes, burglaries, cheating, lying, pornography, child abuse, wife abuse, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, pedophilia, abortion, sexual perversions, sexual abuse, lust, envy, coveting, character assassination, verbal abuse, gossiping, rudeness, polygamy, hate, self-righteousness, animal abuse, extortion, deceiving, Islamic fascism, racial hatred, organized crime, white collar crime, forgery, etc.

Although the fall of man rendered him depraved with a sin nature rather than basically good, praise God that he provided a way that man can become righteous and be reconciled to fellowship with Almighty God.

The Good News Photo Devotionals Index

Romans 3:21-22A
Romans 3:22B-25A
Romans 3:25B-26
Romans 3:27-28
Romans 3:29-39
Romans 3:31

Emerging dead!

The following in red is a direct quote from a comment taken from an atheist site by a pastor of an emergent village church. He had agreed to answer questions posed to him by atheists. This answer was in response to a question about Chirst's atonement being for sin or to set an example for us. Then does faith or works secure the benefit........... I have one word of advice for anyone caught up in this emergent movement. Leave! Do it immediately!

Good questions. My answer is: a little of both but not entirely either.
I believe that Jesus death on the cross was a demonstration that God had forgiven our sins, not the reason God forgave them. That is, I find the conservative theology of sacrificial atonement rather repugnant (as many of you do as well I’ve noticed), but I do still think that the cross was more than just a moral example (though it was that too). It does have something to do with forgiveness.

For those who are not familiar - “sacrificial atonement” theology posits that Christ’s death was necessary because God was really, really angry at us because of our sins, and since he needed to take that anger out on someone, he took it out on Jesus instead of us. Now that he’s blown off some steam he can forgive us and everything is cool between us again.

My question with that theology (besides the fact that it makes God sound like someone with some serious anger management issues) is why, if God wanted to forgive us, he just couldn’t forgive us. Why is punishment necessary? What good does it do to punish someone else in our place?
Instead, I think God did “just forgive us”, and to demonstrate to us that he has forgiven us of all the evil we could possibly do, he came to earth and took the worst that we could throw at him without retaliation. He took our scorn, our betrayal, our violence, our greed, our hatred - and showed that, rather than “getting even”, God-in-the-flesh was willing to give up his rights to revenge and simply forgive those who had made him their enemy. He was willing to endure one of the most painful deaths imaginable rather than return violence for violence or hatred with more hate.

Of course, this stands as a moral example for us as well. If God himself was willing to go to death on a cross rather than take revenge on our enemies, then perhaps we too can begin to love our enemies and become “ambassadors of reconciliation” as Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 5.
Thus, for me, salvation is both about knowing that God has forgiven us unconditionally, and then also about beginning to follow God’s example by forgiving others and overcoming hatred and violence with love and peacemaking.

(BTW, I realize that for those of you who think this is all just a fictional story to be ignored or mocked, how I interpret the significance of the crucifixion is totally irrelevant to you. I’m simply trying to explain for those of you who are interested how this all works out in my theology. If one already believes in God and in the Jesus of the Bible, then this, I think, is the best way to understand what Jesus’ death was all about.)

Romans 1:28-32 (First, the bad news)

Romans 1:28-32 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Here in the final four verses of Romans 1, Paul lays out the case for the depravity of man with a lengthy list of sins that are common to the human race. When God allowed men to follow the inclination of their fallen nature, bondage to sin became pervasive in all men. Each and every man may not become extremely depraved in every sin that Paul lists, but the inclination of his heart is evil and, apart from God’s grace, he cannot escape the depravity of his sinful nature.

When I was around nine years old, I got a BB gun for Christmas. One day in the backyard of a friend, I saw a bird similar to the cardinal in the photo above light on a limb. I took aim at the little bird and pulled the trigger and, as when Opie shot the bird with the slingshot on the Andy Griffith show, the bird fell dead to the ground. Why did I do it? I had an urge to kill the bird for nothing more than the thrill of the kill, and I was fully aware that it ought not be done just as Paul said. This desire was a part of who I was and it illustrated vividly that I met Paul’s standard for being heartless. It is not at all unusual for little boys to have these desires to hunt and kill animals for this reason alone. This sort of thing is often passed off as boys will be boys, but in reality it is boys have a sin nature. Although I may not have struggled this much with some of the other sins on Paul’s list, it clearly demonstrated that I had a serious problem with compassion. I am convinced that this sin did not improve at all until God gave me the gift of his grace some forty years later. Paul is laying out the case in these few verses that everyone struggles to varying degrees with all kinds of sin. He is asserting that fallen man has a serious and fatal sin problem known as total depravity. This is a problem that man cannot fix in and of himself.

Praise God that he did what we are incapable of doing by applying his intervening grace. He provided a savior to pay our sin debt and gave us a new heart that is needed to access saving grace through saving faith. This new heart also enables redeemed sinners to begin to mortify such sins as being heartless. Perfection has not or will not come in this life, but praise God that I could no longer kill a bird for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Romans 1:26-27 (First, the bad news)

Romans 1:26-27 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

The Apostle Paul is very clear in this passage that homosexual activity is not only a sin and wrong, but it goes against nature. People know that it is contrary to nature. They do not have to conduct studies because it is obvious that it is a dysfunctional practice that the human body is ill designed to perform. Many practice this behavior and claim they were born with these desires. Others say that it is an alternate lifestyle that is just as valid as a heterosexual relationship. If this logic were valid, then any abnormal sexual behavior could be justified by a person claiming he was born that way or because it was an alternate choice. Polygamy, nudism, and whatever else people came up with, would also fit under the same umbrella.

Paul, in this passage, says otherwise when he says that natural relations were exchanged for those contrary to nature. He points out that those practicing such acts are shameless and consumed with passion. Therefore, they become obsessed at the expense of other human activities and receive, in this life, the due penalty for this error. Statistics bear out that homosexual activity brings increased diseases to those that practice the behavior. Aids, hepatitis, rectal cancer are a few diseases that take an increased toll on homosexuals.

Most in our secular culture validate homosexuality as normal and O.K. Also, many liberal and “emergent” professing Christians also assert that homosexual activity is valid as long as fidelity is maintained between the partners. Christians that take the Bible seriously view the practice exactly as Paul explains here in these two verses. For having this belief, conservative Christians are falsely accused of hating homosexuals. The fact is that all people, including believers, are sinners and struggle with sin. While hating our sin first and in others next is appropriate, hating sinners is not appropriate and would only mean a hatred for everyone on planet earth. We are to love all human beings, including those that practice this particular sin.

Praise God that his Word in its entirety enables us to form a Christian world-view that allows Christians to sort through all of the secular misinformation and Christian false teaching and come to a right understanding on the subject of homosexuality.

Romans 1:24-25 (First, the bad news)

Romans 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

By giving them up, God allowed them to pursue their sins unrestrained. In exchanging the truth of God’s glory for the worship of created things, man brought wrath upon himself. Tattoos, as shown in the photo above, are just one way that men can reveal where their attention and heart are focused. Therefore, the wrath of God is revealed against sin by the consequences of sin itself. It does not take a separate act of judgment by God to punish sin because sin is its own punishment. When sinners pursue sin unrestrained, the results always serve to punish the sinner. Drug, gambling, sexual, and alcohol addictions all bring suffering and punishment to those that pursue these lusts. The lust for wealth, power, and fame also take a heavy toll on those who pursue them with reckless abandon. Since these lusts and addictions are never fully satisfied, the sinner is in bondage to his own lustful desires. This bondage does not bring peace and contentment.

Praise God that by his grace believers hold on to the truth about God and are not only eternally secure but have the peace that surpasses all understanding in this life as well. It is a Christian characteristic to be happy and contented due to a focus that is placed outside of themselves and on the Kingdom of God rather than on worldly lusts. This does not mean Christians do not enjoy the glory, beauty and majesty of God’s creation. But, their world-view is conformed to the truth of God rather than the lie as is expressed in these verses.

Romans 1:22-23 (First, the bad news)

Romans 1:22-23 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Throughout the history of mankind there have been spiritual leaders and other leaders that have claimed to be wise and possess knowledge of metaphysical truth. However, instead of being wise they became fools and exchanged God’s glory as revealed in nature for images of created things. Rather than develop a reverence for an obvious all-powerful creator God, they relied on their imagination to create their own gods that suited their needs. While Paul was referring to man’s response to general revelation alone, nothing has changed with the addition of special revelation and the testimony of a savior. Many still rely on their imagination instead of biblical revelation.

Highly educated “self-proclaimed Christian scholars” routinely deny the deity of Christ, the physical resurrection of Christ, Christ’s atonement for sin, biblical creation, and most of the events and miracles of biblical revelation. They claim to be wise and have exchanged spiritual salvation through Christ for a temporal worldly works oriented social gospel. They affirm that all of man’s attempts to “get in touch with the sacred” are equally valid. They have adopted a secular liberal post-modern politically correct world-view and make biblical truth conform to this view. They have rejected, reinterpreted, and revised Scripture that does not fit their world-view and have emphasized and focused on the Scripture they are comfortable with. They affirm that killing partially born babies should be legal, yet think capital punishment for murderers should be illegal. They proclaim Jesus Christ as a great moral and ethical teacher, but are ashamed of the cross of Calvary. They are critical of economic freedom and would like to exchange it for the tyranny of socialism. The world praises them and is very comfortable with their social activism, which makes them safe from persecution or criticism. They are not only claiming to be wise, but they are claiming to be the true church as opposed to those they label as conservative, hateful, bible believing Christians. Although the best of Christian Churches are comprised of sinners and have some doctrinal error, these teachers, that deny basic tenants of the Christian faith, have become fools and are little more than advocates and activists for the prince of this world.

Praise God that his true Church, through his sovereign providence, will prevail against all foes and the gates of hell will not stand against her. Let us pray that those that have been negatively influenced by their secular humanist education will come to rely on the entire counsel of God as revealed in the Holy Bible. This biblical truth contains a foundation for a Christian world-view that is as solid as rock and is based on absolute truth rather than the shifting sands of secular humanism.

Seven things about Jazzy

Marcian of ruminations and ramifications has tagged Jazzy to give seven interesting things about herself. She has delegated the job to me and I hope I do not reveal anything too sensitive as I know she will call her attorney the honorable I.R. Sleaze to take legal action if I do.

1. Jazzy is 9.5 years old.

2. She loves to get in my lap, purr, and get nose to nose.

3. She pretty much gets to go outside on demand, but she stays real close to the house and lounges around. When she was younger she loved to stalk and try to catch squirrels.

4. About a year ago Jazzy had an encounter with a copperhead snake that I killed. (See Dec. 1, 2005 in Jazzy’s own words post.)

5. Jazzy needs a tummy tuck.

6. In the above photo Jazzy is using her tail to shield her eyes from the light as she naps on the couch.

7. Jazzy has been enjoying her super retirement plan since she was about 6 weeks old. At that age she methodically climbed into my lap and up on my chest. She got eyeball to eyeball with me and proceeded to rub her face against my cheek. My heart melted like a popsicle in an Al Gore global warming movie and her retirement was secured.

Romans 1:21 (First, the bad news)

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Darkness overcomes light that enters a cave, as light is absorbed in short order and cannot reach into the depths. In a like manner, spiritual light in unregenerate man cannot reach into the depths of his heart. Man, through his senses and his ability to think, knows there is a God. However, Paul says this thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. The spiritual light that is available in general revelation is squelched and not allowed to penetrate. Men do not desire to glorify and give thanks to God. They do not want to be accountable to a creator. Men will even choose the nonsense of matter popping into being from non-being with no outside cause before they believe in super-natural creation by a creator God.

In these latter days men believe that science, which has brought amazing technological advances in the last hundred years, will solve the problem of why there is something instead of nothing without a creator God as the cause. Apart from God’s grace, man’s thinking is as futile today as it was in Paul’s day, and spiritual light still does not penetrate the hearts of men without this grace.