Worship

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
The writer of Hebrews, in this verse, not only tells Christians what they are going to receive but tells them to be thankful and to worship God in an acceptable manner. He names reverence and awe as two things necessary for this worship to be acceptable. From this verse, it logically follows that there must be ways of worship that are not acceptable to God. Therefore, men should stay away from the unacceptable ways of worship which would be anything that the Bible does not specifically direct man to do. In short, the worship of God should be done as prescribed by the Bible and not by the whims and imaginations of men. The Bible says the following when discussing proper worship…. See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it (Deuteronomy 12:32). Therefore, the basic principle concerning worship to God is that it should be done in the manner as prescribed by the Bible with nothing added or nothing removed. Worship to God can be ineffective and useless as Jesus verified when he quoted the Prophet Isaiah …. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men (Matthew 15:8-9). The Westminster Confession of Faith article 21 contains the elements of proper worship that God has instituted in Holy Scriptures. The churches that have the seeker friendly worship services that are popular today should take care to insure that their worship services are God centered and God friendly. God does not call worldly principles to the church but rather calls sinners from worldly principles.

Prayer request

Please remember the 25 year old wife of my nephew Brett in your prayers. Her name is Shelley and she will be having brain surgery on Tuesday Aug. 29 for the removal of a small tumor contained in a cyst.

Pride

1 John 2:16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
The dictionary defines one form of pride as inordinate self-esteem. The Bible and history reveal that this kind of prideful self-esteem has caused much pain, suffering, and strife throughout human history and is no virtue. Yet, many touted experts think, and popular secular opinion seems to agree, that in materialistic self-absorbed America today low self-esteem is a problem, especially with young people. You will hear it said that teachers should be careful not to harm the self-esteem of their students. They believe America needs more of the very thing that has caused so many problems for the human race. Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, expressed a different view of prideful self-esteem. The first thing he said was…. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). The opposite of pride is humility and Jesus is saying that the humble are blessed. The Matthew Henry commentary on that verse says ….” The poor in spirit are happy…….They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them.” Paul also taught that humility is a characteristic of a Christian…. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Paul warned that in the last days people would be proud, boastful, and lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:2). A focus on self with pride is a value of the world; whereas, a focus on God with humility is a value of Christianity.

Gambling

1 Timothy 6:9-10 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
The dictionary defines gambling as betting on an uncertain outcome. Casino gambling is anything but uncertain because the mathematical advantage is held by the house, and the house will always win with repetition and time. They get plenty of repetition and are open 24 hours a day seven days a week which insures they will always win week by week, month by month and year by year. Just as a spider builds his trap bigger and better, casino operators build their traps with more lights, glitz and entertainment. Some people consider it harmless entertainment, but there is a percentage of people who will become addicted and bring devastation and financial ruin to their lives and also their families’ lives. Crime, divorce, and even suicide are all part of the cost of this ‘entertainment’. Entertainment was also very big in Sodom and Gomorrah, but it was not harmless there and it is not harmless in the United States. Las Vegas did not get the nickname Sin City without reason, and for a Christian, or anyone else, to view gambling as just another form of entertainment is pure folly. As Paul said…. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8). Think of the good that could result if the money, lost every year to gambling by professing Christians, were instead invested to please the Spirit instead of the sinful nature. May God enable us to sow wisely.

Evangelism

Fly fishing in North Carolina
Jesus last command was to evangelize…. 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, (Matthew 28:19). Jesus also told his disciples…."The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). Paul in his letter to Philemon encouraged him to share his faith…. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith,…... (Philemon 1:6). Peter instructed Christians to not only share their faith but to be prepared…. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, (1 Peter 3:15). Being prepared means knowing the gospel, knowing how to effectively communicate it to others and, as Peter says, do it with gentleness and respect. Such ministries as Evangelism Explosion (EE) teach effective ways to present the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing the gospel and knowing how to present it properly are two totally different things. The EE evangelism ministry always asks permission before sharing. It avoids arguments. It affirms the truth of the gospel without being confrontational. It keeps the gospel message from being side tracked and it precludes objections. The Apostle Paul used similar techniques…. Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious (Acts 17:22). To be successful in fly fishing it takes knowledge, planning, preparation, and discipline. It is no different in evangelism. The EE ministry depends on an outline that breaks the gospel into five parts: Grace, man, God, Jesus Christ, and faith.

Worldliness

Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson, Mississippi where a once beautiful home is no more.
The desires, goals and focus of a Christian are not on the things or pleasures of this world….Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). The world is presently controlled by Satan and he has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). Jesus told his disciples that they were chosen out of the world and would be hated by the world….If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John 15:19). Jesus also makes the point in this passage that the world will love people who belong to the world, and he even warns that when all men speak well of you, you have a problem (Luke 6:26). Jesus is basically saying that worldly people love the pleasures, things, and principles of this world and will love people of a like mindset. In A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards explores the signs of a true Christian and said the following…..”those who are spiritual are set in opposition to natural men, and carnal men.” It is obvious that the secular world is not going to speak well of men and religious leaders who are in opposition to the prevailing politically correct standards of the world. This is currently evident in the debate of such issues as abortion, homosexual marriage, gambling, pluralism, etc. It is especially interesting to note the religious leaders that are spoken well of by the media and those that are not. Those leaders that are well received have adopted views that are in accord with the prevailing secular world view. The Bible says the following about their popularity: You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). The early Christians were faced with a decision of whether to obey God or man. That is still true today. Choose wisely who you obey.

God's Wrath

Romans 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Sin is why sinners need to be saved, Satan is involved, and hell is the final destination for unsaved sinners. But, what are sinners saved from? In Romans 5:9, Paul teaches that sinners are saved from the wrath of God. From Romans 1:18 through Romans 3-19 Paul explains the bad news about mankind and God’s wrath. The popular thinking that man is basically good is not the conclusion Paul presents. Paul makes the point that sin is pervasive, effects 100% of mankind and that God is very much offended by sin. Man may be considered basically good by human standards, but by God’s standard of perfect obedience to the moral law, man falls very short indeed. Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, taught that observing the law of God goes much deeper than outward observance (Matthew 5-7). He taught that the inward condition of the heart mattered and compared anger with murder and looking at a woman lustfully as adultery. With those kind of standards it is obvious that everyone is born under the condemnation of God’s wrath….All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). It is also obvious that man, by himself, is powerless to save himself and have peace with God. Paul came to that conclusion and said…..What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25)! God’s wrath is real, and although man cannot save himself, faith alone in Jesus Christ alone can save completely…..Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus saves completely. It does not take Jesus plus baptism, Jesus plus works, or Jesus plus anything. Praise God for his Amazing grace.

Hell

Jesus descended into hell before he rose from the dead so that sinners would not have to receive the justice due for their sins. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.
In today’s culture it is not popular to acknowledge and consider the reality of the Biblical concept of hell. This is due primarily to a failure of human beings to understand the holiness and goodness of God and also the sinfulness and depravity of mankind. In short, man is considered to be ‘basically good’ and God is thought of as not being very serious about sin and as loving sinners unconditionally. God’s unconditional love implies that sinners do not have to worry about the consequences of sin or even make an effort to refrain from sin. This is an unbiblical concept of sin and God’s character. God is love and does not want to punish sinners, but he is also just and must punish sin to remain true to his character traits of truth, justice, and holiness. This sin is punished in hell as Jesus himself pointed out many times. The parable of Lazarus mentioned above is an example. Jesus, in his atonement, not only died a physical death to pay the penalty for sin, he also descended into hell and received the punishment of eternal death to pay the spiritual penalty for the sins of the redeemed. Through the atonement of Jesus, God executed his justice on sin in the person of Jesus Christ and justified those who have faith in Jesus …. 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—26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). Jesus went to hell for those sinners that put their faith in him. Sinners who do not put their faith in the atonement of Jesus for their sin debt will have to make the one way trip to hell and pay their own penalty for sin. The sentence duration is eternity and there is no pardon or parole provisions. The better choice is to accept, through faith alone in Christ alone, God’s offer to be declared not guilty on judgment day.

Heaven

There will be no rust in heaven….
The Bible tells us the following about heaven: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21).” This is a beautiful picture of the glory of heaven and the joyful eternal life that those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enjoy….. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27). The great news about heaven is that it is a free gift of God by the grace of God (Romans 6:23 & Ephesians 2:8-9). This free gift of eternal life is received by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. To quote from a great hymn…..’Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.’ After receiving this grace, the Holy Spirit will also move a person to a new focus and purpose in life. This new purpose and focus will mean that a sinner will be interested in storing up treasures in heaven. This will occur out of gratitude and love for Jesus Christ and not as an attempt to earn favor or merit.

Marriage

Mark 10:6-9 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Jesus in the passage above very clearly defines marriage. This definition by Jesus is under attack in the United States as the Supreme Court in Massachusetts has ruled that same sex marriages can not be prohibited by the state of Massachusetts. This puts Biblical teaching on marriage on a collision course with the state. Nevertheless, true Christian Churches can only recognize the marriage of one man and one woman as being legitimate and cannot perform these unbiblical marriages. Apostate Churches can perform as many same sex marriages as they want, but discerning Christians must obey God and not the state or false prophets…. Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29)! The Bible also gives other guidelines for marriage, such as a believer should not marry an unbeliever and that adultery or desertion should be the only causes sufficient to dissolve a marriage (1 Cor. 7:15,39, Matthew 19:9). The Biblical standard of commitment in marriage is much greater than the contemporary culture practices. There can be no doubt that the little boy fishing in the photo above is best nurtured by being in a family of one man married to one woman who are committed to providing an environment that will best convey the values and morals which have given our society the freedom and prosperity it enjoys. When one studies the development of western civilization, it is clear that the Christian model for a family is the best option for society. One goal of every Christian that enjoys this family blessing should be to reach out with compassion to help, assist, and pray for those that are not part of such a family unit. In our culture today there are many opportunities to minister and help such people as our savior Jesus Christ commanded us to do. The proper response to the ungodly forces at work in America today should be one of love to all people with an uncompromising commitment to Biblical teaching.

Abortion

Psalms 139:13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Abortion is the killing of human life in its mother’s womb. It is not part of the woman’s body, and a short time after conception it has its own heartbeat and circulatory system. To justify abortion under the pretense of a right to privacy defies logic in that it justifies killing as a privacy right. Who can forget the photo of the 21 week (after conception) old baby that was operated on in its mother’s womb? The photo shows a tiny hand holding on tightly to a doctor’s finger and is a devastating indictment of the abortion culture. Not many people have seen this photo due to the liberal pro-choice leaning of the main stream media which ignored it and even directed one journalist not to show it. This particular journalist resigned over the censorship. This photo can be easily found on the internet. Most liberal political leaders overwhelmingly supports abortion, including the ghastly partial birth abortion procedure which kills a baby that is partially born. The most recent president (Bill Clinton) vetoed the bill banning this procedure. President George Bush finally signed the law after he took office. When John Kerry made the statement that he wants abortion to be, legal, safe, available, and rare, it was obvious that he realized it is wrong. Why should it be rare if nothing is wrong with it? It certainly has not been rare as millions of abortions have been performed since it became legal. While God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass, he is not the author of the sin. He has given people free will and allows them to sin, including the sin of abortion… This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Love

Jazzy Cat on the left with her sister Cuffy

Love one another….
The core value of the Christian walk of sanctification is love. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in the Law he said…. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). Love is the first fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5. Chapter 13 of First Corinthians says... If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

One Way

There is only one way to this mountain top in Colorado and the road that gets there is narrow. Not many people find and use this road.
Just as there is only one way to get to this Colorado mountain top, there is also only one way to receive salvation and eternal life and that is through grace alone, by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. The accusation is made that Christianity is being exclusive in teaching that this is the only way to God. Since the offer is made to all human beings, it is not exclusive at all (John 3:16). The complaint is not that God has made his chosen way of salvation exclusive, but that God has not accepted the other ways that human beings have devised as a means to salvation. Their thinking is that Christianity (God) is being harsh for not validating the Gods of their imagination as being equally acceptable ways to salvation. How dare God not accept false gods as a means to salvation is the absurdity of their thinking. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, died a cruel death so that men could receive eternal life. If there were any other way for God to reconcile mankind to himself, do we really think he would still have sacrificed his son to be just one of many ways to eternal life. That would be like a Doctor telling a father that his son had an infection in his heart and the father could either donate his own heart and die or give his son a pill that would cure the infection. The truth is this: The sin of human beings is so drastic to God that it required the atonement of a perfect person with an infinite worth. The Bible reveals that God’s chosen means for human beings to gain access to this atonement for their sins is through faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Men can devise all the false religions they want, but there is only one way to be right with God as Jesus himself said…. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Eternal Security

A dog may snatch a dog biscuit from a persons hand, but Christians with saving faith can be secure that no one can snatch them from their Heavenly Father’s hand.
Praise God for his glorious grace which includes the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ and his promise of eternal security which Jesus affirmed in many passages such as the one above and (John 6:37-40). Jesus, in his high-priestly prayer, prayed to the father that eternal life would be given to all that the Father had given him …..For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him (John 17:2). In this passage Jesus is very clearly praying that 100% of those that are born again by the will of God will be saved, and it is inconceivable that the Father would not grant this request of Jesus. The other doctrines of grace, which are also clearly taught in Scripture, fit together with eternal security in a coherent system. These doctrines are laid out in sequence by Paul who said,….For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). Notice that these verses are all about God taking action and accomplishing his will and not about man taking any action at all. They are not about God waiting and hoping that man will make the right decision and respond to God, but are all about God accomplishing everything in salvation. This is grace and it is mercy from God as Paul goes on to say…. It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Romans 9:16). These doctrines of grace are God-centered in contrast to a man-centered view of salvation which hold that man can will and work himself in and back out of the Kingdom of God. Even a faith plus works view of salvation would still make works rather than faith in Christ the deciding factor. Paul said in (Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:20) that no one will be justified by their works. Paul points out that if righteousness could be gained by the law, Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21).

Persecution

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Persecution against Christianity is ongoing and growing in the United States. Secular culture has no problem with apathetic, nominal, or liberal Christianity. However, Christians that believe and practice Biblical teachings are a problem to them and have come under attack in the United States. Stereotypical labels and personal attacks have been used to demonize these Christians by political leaders and liberals in general for several years. The terms religious right, fundamentalist Christian, fanatical fringe, born again Christian, are some of the names given to such Christians. When a prominent senator said in July, 2004, “The religious right has never looked so ridiculous,” he was continuing the slander and manipulation that has been directed at a particular segment of Christianity for at least a decade. His slander was due to the fact that Evangelical Christians were supporting a constitutional amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. Also, a current United States senator publicly stated that speaking in opposition to the homosexual agenda is hate speech and such speech could incite hate crimes against homosexuals and should also be a crime. Christians should be alarmed at the danger that religious liberty would be under if speech upholding Biblical principals becomes a crime. Speech in favor of Biblical cultural values is often labeled as ‘hate speech’ by the secular left, while crude slanderous personal attacks against political conservatives and Christian leaders are called ’free speech’ by these same people. One city recently brought legal action against a group of people who were having a Bible study in their home under the pretense that they were violating a zoning ordinance. People are being asked not to wear crosses or place Bibles on their desks and the list goes on as the political correct thing has become to view Christians as intolerant, hateful, and divisive. Nativity scenes are being banned and the term Christmas is being replaced with ‘winter holidays’ in many places. However, the vile and the pornographic is being zealously protected under the guise of free speech. It has been gradual, but the loss of Christian religious freedom in the last thirty years, has been dramatic. The Bible has much to say about the Christian response to worldly secular principles such as the verse above.

Trinity

In complete harmony and unity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three separate persons in one Godhead.
The doctrine of the Trinity is complex for the human mind to comprehend. The Bible teaches that there is one God. The New Testament clearly teach three personal agents in the godhead at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus, in his last words before his ascension, told his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Godhead have distinct roles in the salvation of fallen sinners. God, the Father, from all eternity predestined sinners for salvation….. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— (Ephesians 1:4-5). Jesus Christ, from all eternity, redeemed sinners by paying their sin debt….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,……(Romans 3:23-25). God, the Holy Spirit, quickens and makes spiritually dead sinners alive so they can respond to Jesus…..Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.' (John 3:5-7) (Also see Titus 3:5-7). J.I. Packer, in Concise Theology, says the following about two common heresies concerning the Trinity: They are not three roles played by one person (that is modalism), nor are they three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism). All non-Trinitarian formulations of the Christian message are, by biblical standards, inadequate and fundamentally false and will naturally tend to pull Christian lives out of shape.

Discernment

Philippians 1:9-10 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

The dictionary has a lot to say in defining discernment, but perhaps the most important thing for a Christian to consider is that discernment stresses accuracy. This is important in Biblical theology because believing and following false teachers can not only have eternal consequences but, as the ‘Jim Jones’ tragedy illustrated, grave dangers in this world as well. The Bible has many warnings about false teaching and being deceived. Some of them came directly from Jesus who said…. "Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Mark 13:5). To be sure that no one deceives you requires a knowledge of Biblical doctrine. The best way to understand doctrine is through reading and studying the Bible as did the Bereans…. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Discernment requires knowledge. Knowledge requires prayer and study (Col. 1:9) (Heb. 5:11-14). Once a person has knowledge, the Apostle Paul tells us the following: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14). Therefore, a Christian should seek knowledge in order to attain the quality of discernment.

Doctrine

A rock climber must hold firmly to a vertical cliff to reach the top and the Apostle Paul exhorts us to hold firmly to sound doctrine.
The Bible’s teaching on man, sin, God, Jesus, salvation, grace, faith, love, resurrection, atonement, heaven, hell, etc. gives human beings knowledge and information about God. A person will inevitably form opinions about this knowledge and develop a system of belief based on those opinions. This is doctrine and it is unavoidable. For someone to say that he loves Jesus Christ and doesn’t care or get involved with doctrine is pure nonsense. He must believe something about Christ to love him and that is doctrine. The four gospels are packed full of the teachings of Jesus. If someone is teaching, it requires that someone must be learning. Jesus taught and people learned and continue to learn. The knowledge people acquire from the teachings of Jesus is processed into doctrine. Doctrine may be sound, contain some minor error, or possibly come from Satan and be deadly to the soul. That is why Paul told Timothy to….Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16). Sometimes sound doctrine will not be acceptable to worldly wisdom and Paul goes on to warn Timothy…. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). While doctrine can get quite complicated on some issues, the things necessary for salvation are clear enough that the unlearned may attain a sufficient understanding of them. Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is the core and focus of the gospel message.

Don't be spun by false teachers!

While it is O.K. to be spun on a carousel, it is not good to allow false teachers to spin scared Biblical text......
Therefore, we should be careful that the exegesis we accept for a Scriptural text is based on a solid hermeneutics. This takes knowledge, wisdom, and most of all discernment.

Hermeneutics: The theory and methodology of interpretation, especially of scriptural text.

Exegesis: Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text.

Spin: A distinctive point of view, emphasis, or interpretation.

Signs are inevitable

A free grace advocate on another blog has stated the following:

I serve Christ:
1. Out of obedience.
2. Out of gratitude.
3. To gain heavenly rewards, including the right to participate in Christ's heavenly government.
4. To avoid suffering chastening.

This is very interesting because the free grace view asserts that saving faith in some people will not produce any works or motivate a person to any action or service to the Kingdom of God. Yet this person is admitting that he has been motivated and even lists the reasons. I would like to consider reasons one and two in this post.

Why was he motivated due to reasons one and two, and why are others (the free grace carnal Christian) not so motivated? Is he smarter? Is he a better more loving person? Did God do a more thorough work in him? Why would one person with true faith do works and another do absolutely nothing?

It is understandable that Christians will have varying degrees of works or deeds. This is pointed out in the parable of the four soils where only one of the four soils produced true Christians and that soil produced Christians that produced fruit of varying amounts. I should point out that the free grace view of that parable asserts that three of the four soils produced true Christians. However, to go from varying degrees of Christian action to none whatsoever is a great leap.

For example, I am sure that fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers show varying degrees of interest, devotion, time, money, etc. in following their team. However, can you imagine someone claiming to be a Steeler fan and yet having no interest in the team’s record, or going to games, or watching them play on T.V., or reading about them, etc?

The truth is that a real fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers will inevitably show signs of being a fan. It will just result from being a true fan. I also think that a true Christian will inevitably show signs of his true saving faith. Therefore, this free grace advocate is simply showing the signs that he indeed does have a true saving faith. Sanctification happens!