Busy Summer and Eternal Security in Jesus

Tending the garden has sure kept me extremely busy. Last night we had a nice bit of rain, so it affords me a few extra moments that would otherwise be spent watering the vegetable garden. God is so good! ...even when we forget to thank Him, which is more often than not.

I allowed myself to get tangled up on a group on Facebook that talks about end times and how to be a "prepper". There is a woman on there that talks about how you can lose your salvation and talks about the evils of Calvinism at every turn, so I kept trying to put out her fires....but this woman does not give up! Don't try to confuse this woman with the facts! lol, because she knows better than anyone else, and sadly fancies herself a teacher, one that instills in her followers a subtle lie that you can undo what God does in your life. I found myself getting frustrated, a sure sign that it is time to back away, and pray.

But thankfully I did find a couple of good blog articles on eternal security. Hope you enjoy them too!

https://snyderssoapbox.com/2014/09/04/if-you-could-lose-your-salvation-you-would/

 https://carm.org/can-believer-lose-his-salvation

 https://snyderssoapbox.com/2014/04/21/hebrews-61-8-eternal-security-perseverance-of-the-saints-justification-and-sanctification/

A Thought About Biblical Contradictions

 this morning 4 degrees Celsius (brr) and quite breezy

From time to time I will read a post about Biblical contradictions, sometimes from the atheist's view and sometimes explanations of seeming contradictions from a Christian perspective.

Today is a gloriously sunny day, much like last Easter (resurrection) Sunday was, except the day before yesterday it was warm and sunny and today it is quite chilly. It had me thinking about the seeming contradiction in it. One person describing today might talk about the beautiful sunshine, birds singing, etc, and another might describe it as very bone chilling cold, the need for extra warm clothing, etc....and on the surface at a quick glance the descriptions might seem to be opposing and contradictory, and yet they are not, the two depictions actually give added information and support each other in describing the real facts of the matter.

So next time you see a seeming contradiction in the Bible, look a little deeper, and you may find that little nugget of something special, that breathes a fresh and new life into the narrative.

Mine is admittedly an oversimplification of this topic. To get an indepth study into Biblical (perceived) contradictions, please visit this website:
 http://www.debate.org.uk/debate-topics/apologetic/contrads/

Deception

The deception is getting stronger and stronger, many are succumbing to it, many are ill-prepared for it. Even those who have been trying to keep up with watching and praying are having a difficult time with it. I have been trying to pay attention and watching all the warnings, ok, some of them were pretty far fetched, but many of the warnings were accurate and did not actually reach far enough to describe the level of deception and horror that is going on in our midst.

Amir Tsarfati is an Israeli Jew. He is also a Christian! Hallelujah! He has many prophecy videos on youtube, I do not agree with him about a pre-trib escape but that is a minor issue. In this video he warns about the ecummenical movement that is sweeping through Protestantism. It is happening, the devil is crafty, and I like the way Jacob Prasch put it. Prasch said the only persons in the Bible given title of "son of perdition" is the antichrist and Judas Iscariot. The closest disciples of Jesus were all fooled by Judas, that should be a warning to us. Judas put on a great religious act, he even seemed so caring for the poor, while he was pocketing the money...and now today there are many antichrists at work, and some of the worst ones are the very best at fooling us Christians into making us believe they are one of us.

Please be aware of what is happening today. Please search out Albert Mohl and see how subtly he is at work to line up the "good" preachers for the antichrist system.

And please watch this video to get an idea of some of what is happening in the "church" today:

OK! So What? We All Sin After All....

image link

The last few posts started out with my resolve that I'm not going to argue and I'm not going to seek out the wrongs and sins of false ones, but just keep my eyes on the True (Jesus alone is true and EVERY MAN -- HUMAN -- IS A LIAR Romans 3:4)

AND THEN....

I go on to speak on some of my pet peeves and a few that popped into my view right after my new resolve. I sympathize with Jeremiah in chapter 20, Jeremiah had resolved to shut up but it burned in his being to speak up....

And did my thoughts change anyone's mind? I doubt it.

A couple of years ago I had brought up to a blogger friend a particular sermon I enjoyed by John MacArthur. She replied by telling me that she did not trust JM because he has so many masonic and globalist ties and that he has sold out to these worldly things rather than being fully sold out to Jesus. I didn't believe her, well, I semi-did but I thought she was splitting hairs over nothing. We are all in this world after all, we all make compromises from time to time, don't we? I wrote her back the day before yesterday to apologize and to thank her for staying true to the truth. It took me quite a while, a couple of years, so perhaps others are seeing these things as well, and like me, will take a year...or two...or three...maybe never will see it, it is as the Lord knows will be so, it is ok. It's a lonely path and it usually loses you "friends"....but were they ever REALLY friends?

We cannot avoid compromisers or evil people, but we can avoid those who claim to be ministers of the truth and show evidence of a different kind of rotten fruit. Paul tells us:

1Corinthians 5:9-11 

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 

Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, 

or with the covetous, 

or extortioners, 

or with idolaters; 

for then must ye needs go out of the world.  

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, 

 if any man that is called a brother 

be a fornicator, or covetous, 

or an idolater,

 or a railer, 

or a drunkard,

 or an extortioner;

 with such an one no not to eat.

How much worse if anyone who calls himself a brother and a pastor and is an extortioner of souls? ...or covetous of the world's friendships and wealth and ease....

.....which would have to be sacrificed if the whole truth were to be held to and preached in full humility and full of the Holy Spirit confessing one's own shortcomings before men? Should we not avoid such men too? Well, at very least we shouldn't put them on too high a pedestal only reserve praise for Jesus, and of course we are to pray for these leaders, or so-called leaders, God can and does use anyone to bring his lost sheep to Himself, so in season or out of season, at least the gospel is being preached even if there are ulterior motives involved, God can and does still use even those for good (Romans 8:28!!!yay! Praise God!)

Spotting a Counterfeit Part 3

My previous two blogposts discuss my struggles with looking for and talking about other people's errors. Errors and sin is everywhere, that really shouldn't need saying, should it? The New Testament says we are not to keep company with anyone who says they are a brother and lives sinfully (1 Corinthians 5:11, because those outside of the faith are not convicted by the Holy Spirit, but if they truly are of the faith they will feel convicted if we reject their company in response to living in open sinful rebellion. It really doesn't say to continually convince everyone of their errors, although there are a couple of passages that do mention how the church is to deal with unrepentant persons who claim to be believers, I do not see that as justification for continuously bringing up other people's wrongdoings.

image link

The above image link will take you to a blog entry that makes the case that John MacArthur made some grievous mistakes in how he addressed the topic of the excesses we have perhaps all seen replayed which occurred during some infamous "outpourings" that resulted in people barking like dogs, and other behaviours that were less than orderly at best, and perhaps might even be considered blasphemous. 

Excerpt from the link:

(quoting MacArthur):“Mostly this comes in the professing church from Pentecostals and Charismatics who feel they have free license to abuse the Holy Spirit and even blaspheme His holy name. And they do it constantly.
How do they do it? By attributing to the Holy Spirit words that He didn’t say, deeds that He didn’t do, and experiences that He didn’t produce, attributing to the Holy Spirit that which is not the work of the Holy Spirit. Endless human experiences, emotional experiences, bizarre experiences and demonic experiences are said to come from the Holy Spirit…visions, revelations, voices from heaven, messages from the Spirit through transcendental means, dreams, speaking in tongues, prophecies, out of body experiences, trips to heaven, anointings, miracles. All false, all lies, all deceptions attributed falsely to the Holy Spirit . . .

(and then the last hiker's thoughts on the MacArthur quote): Basically, John MacArthur said that I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit–the unpardonable sin. So according to John MacArthur, I am going to hell because my relationship with God involves me believing that He speaks to me. I don’t think he really means that we are going to hell, he can’t mean that, can he? But you can’t throw out the phrases blasphemy of the Holy Spirit without conveying that idea."

Regarding the Charismatic excesses, and those who have written and spoken against it, you can find plenty of information about it online, and I encourage you to do the research prayerfully with your Bible nearby to look up all the related Bible verses that are given by both sides, and study to show yourself approved regarding this, and all things that are important in our walk with the Lord. The above linked blog article is a good place to begin if you are unfamiliar with this topic, but be sure to read all the comments in the comments section as well... I did... there is much food for thought and prayer in that article AND in the comments as well.

You may agree or disagree with "the last hiker", but I wanted to mention a few things that were brought up about John MacArthur in the comments section of that blog article:

1.  John MacArthur said you can repent after taking the mark of the beast if you mistakenly take it during the great tribulation. (I disagree with him)

2. He said he couldn't recall ever repenting or being born of the Spirit, that he had always believed in God even as a small child. (God only knows if he is saved, some think this means he isn't born of the Spirit... as for me, I don't know so I'm leaving that one with Jesus)

3. When he talked about his great family heritage, and about his great grandfather being a pastor in Prince Edward Island, Canada, he failed to mention that his great grandfather was also a grand master in a Masonic lodge and held the 33rd degree. (If you are going to talk about great family heritage would it be good to mention the failings as well?... when talking about my grandmother I doubt I'd drag out her skeletons in the closet, but does that prove a lack of being born again? I personally don't think so)

When I look to men (and also when I focus on myself) I see shortcomings every time. That is why our focus should remain on Jesus and what He has done. When a man such as John MacArthur speaks things that are in agreement with the Bible, I will agree with him. When "the last hiker" says things that is right with what the Bible states, I am agreement with her. When John MacArthur boasts of himself or his family he speaks foolishly (according to the Apostle Paul 2 Corinthians 11:16-33). When "the last hiker".... or when I.... try to make excuses for things that require humble repenting, or try to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we likewise speak foolishly. It is better to hold the tongue and take it to the Lord directly to see if that is the case.

But what this link also shows me is that no one changed their minds on this topic in this discussion. Those who thought MacArthur is right might have disagreed with the above-mentioned points, but still held their position when it came to what he had to say about "Strange Fire" and those who want to hold to signs and experiences having importance and value in a Christian's life, might concede that things such as Toronto Blessing was not appropriate and orderly church behaviour, but still held to their belief that signs, healings, miracles, tongues, etc, have an important place in a true Christian's life. I like the fact that the discussion was done in a civil manner, and it is important to talk about our differences, but if the goal is to change anyone's mind: If the Lord isn't doing it, it ain't gonna happen.

Regarding this topic of John MacArthur vs. the Charismatics I have my opinion, but getting into heated discussions about it won't enlighten anyone. I can pray for those that I perceive are being hurt or deceived, and I can avoid those who are willfully teaching and doing things that are contrary to what the Bible clearly teaches.
That's it.
Edit: well, that isn't quite "it", I posted more about it here


 1Corinthians 5:9-13
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.   But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Amen.


 

The Problem With Atheists....

Kyle... yes, I will name him "Kyle"

Kyle fancies himself a very extraordinarily intelligent guy. He thinks he knows everything there is to know, and that is why he is proud to be an atheist, and not another "idiot Christian". Who could be so ignorant to believe the Bible is true? What a bunch of myths and fairytales, he says. He thought he could win me over to his much more superior point of view, one that gazed loftily over all the heads of the (in his mind) ignorant Christian masses of dumb sheep.

I shared this with Kyle:

and he thanked me and laughed, and said "Yes, I see it is an Atheist meme that shows how backwards Christians are!"

Then I pointed out that the atheist is headed downward and the Christian is going up, and that it is a perfect depiction of the fact that atheists will come down from their lofty superiority, while those dumb Christians down there are headed upward.

Kyle stopped laughing.

White as Snow

A few days ago I walked  to the center of our town (our town is very small so it was only about 3 blocks down the road).

Walking along I saw a couple boys playing in the snow. They had been building a snowman but got sidetracked, or tired...

Yesterday's stroll by this spot revealed their finished product

The leaves add a nice touch :)

When the snow first fell last week it was a beautiful white blanket that made everything look so clean and pure. It reminded me of the verse in Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:18 (KJV) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

 But after only a few days the leaves and dirt ruin the beautiful white.

In my discussions with legalists the discussion always turns to ourselves needing to keep ourselves white through our works and our repentance. I agree that we need to repent of our sinful missteps, but is it our work of repenting that cleanses us, or is it Jesus? The Bible tells me that repentance is a gift:

2Ti 2:24-26  (KJV) And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;   And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Our walk in a sinful world makes our feet dirty in our walking...Jesus said to Peter that He had to wash only his feet after the rest of him had already been washed clean.

 John 13:10a (KJV)  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean

When I was a Seventh day Adventist we observed the ceremony of foot washing. It was to remind us that we serve each other, but it became a legalistic ritual that lost it's meaning in the doing and often there were those members who would remain home on the day they knew the ritual was to be performed. Now when I look back on that, it is a perfect object lesson for me to understand that serving the Lord and serving each other has nothing to do with performing righteous acts to make ourselves to look holy and pious to our fellow believers. What service we do is not to reveal our goodness and righteousness, it IS to reveal God's goodness and righteousness.

Why do we keep turning these things back toward ourselves, to serve our own vanity? That is the question, isn't it?

Richard Bennet

Richard Bennet was an Irish Catholic priest for 22 years before realizing from his Bible that the Catholic church has it all wrong. In this video he discusses the blasphemy of Catholic teachings and touches on the "Emergent Church" and it's blasphemous teachings, and he doesn't stop there! He talks about Pope Francis and the Jesuit teachings and how they tie in with the Emergent church. You can see his love for the Lord, he's truly inspiring. I hope you will make time to be blessed by this dear brother in Jesus.

A Spiritual Revolution

In the following videos Pastor R.C. Sproul gives a very helpful outline in understanding the times we are living in.






He delineates the difference between morals and ethics, today used interchangeably, however, the two are different in an important way, and help to show what is going on in North America.


In the next video Pastor Sproul explains the difference between following Jesus and legalism. The two often get confused for each other.








So, then, in order to avoid legalism, many fall into the opposite and equally wrong problem of antinomianism. What in the world is that???? you might be asking. Well, Pastor Sproul has a very good video that explains it as well :)

Is America a Christian Nation?... Was it a Christian Nation at it's Founding?

This short (30 minute) video is the first in a series given by a much younger (than he is now) R.C. Sproul. Although this was given many years ago, it is just as relevant today if not more so than the day he gave this. That to me is a testament to the truth of the content, that it has stood the test of time. Right at the beginning he cautions his listeners to the mistaken idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation. It is a nation that has been largely influenced by people that believed in the Bible, however having a Christian influence is other than being solidly Christian through and through. I hope you take a listen as he establishes his case for why he says what he does, and gives historical evidence to support these ideas.

Who Are You Listening To?

Last month I posted (on Bible Treasures) a sermon by R.C. Sproul on the topic of King Ahab...and in that post I focused on the fact that the scriptures are so multifaceted and complex that we tend to think in either/or and see what seem to be discrepancies. But there is so much more in this sermon, he speaks of the fact that Ahab rejected the truth that God spoke through his prophets, and only listened to the false prophets that spoke what Ahab wanted to hear, tickling his ears with flattery and falseness. Then, at the end of God's patience with Ahab, he uses his false prophets to lie to Ahab in order to bring Ahab using his own lying prophets to bring him to the place where God ends Ahab's life. Interesting side point that I also mentioned in the Bible Treasures post is that Elijah had told Ahab that his blood would be licked up by dogs at the pool where Ahab had Naboth murdered. (1 King 21:19), so Ahab avoided going to that pool...he thought he could outsmart God in this. So when Ahab followed the advice of his lying prophets that told him he'd have a great victory in battle, but just in case Micaiah was correct, he decided to hedge his bet and disguise himself so the enemy army wouldn't recognize him and kill him...but a stray  arrow strikes him, kills him.
Today, again, people would rather hear only what is pleasing to their own understanding rather than listening to the word of God. Judgment is at the doorstep. How much longer will God patiently endure the evil that people are flinging in His face?

If you haven't listened to this great sermon, please take the time, and if you already have heard it, it is worth a second hearing.

A Former Messianic Jew Says....

This is very sad for me, and again it reveals a part of the falling away that is going on today, that falling away that Jesus did tell us would happen. This Jewish man says he was converted to Christianity, with Jews for Jesus and Messianic Judaism. I have heard that many of these congregations are very (as Mr. Levey says in the video) cultlike, so again of course the devil can use such things to say "this is what Christianity is, it is a cult"...and this young man now preaches to Jews to warn them about people that evangelize to Jews.

 Indeed, the devil DOES NOT want Jews to truly be born of His Spirit. Satan doesn't want anyone to come to Christ especially the Jews for whom satan has a special and particular hatred and finds all kinds of ways to lead people astray, as he did with this young man, and of course that hatred then gets blameshifted to be hatred that comes from the God of the New Testament and from Jesus. Sigh. It is satan that has sent people to hell, satan is the one that made the need for one a reality. Yes God created satan, yes satan became evil and God knew that would happen...but just as you and I can predict certain things with great accuracy, and perhaps even cause things to be put things into motion that turn out to lead to tragic events does not thereby mean that we made it to be so with that as our sole purpose in mind....even so, God knew that would happen therefore He also created the antidote, the one that is being mocked and jeered about in this video, and lots of other blogs and places as well...


At about the 12:30 mark he mentioned his mother's disappointment with his becoming a Christian: "had I become a Buddhist or an atheist it wouldn't have been as bad..." and there it is, it is better to believe in a fake God or no God at all than to believe in Jesus...and the devil couldn't be behind such a thing because there is no such thing as a devil...or so the devil says....


  Being born again is not just "an experience"... if God did it, it is a reality that doesn't go away.

The Problem with Atheists...

https://www.recruiter.com/i/how-to-control-for-me-and-against-me-thoughts/

A few weeks ago I began reading a book...for me this is a tough assignment on several levels...The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is translated from Russian to English (the version I'm reading is supposed to be one of the better ones, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volkhonsky) so perhaps part of the problem is the fact that words often do not translate directly from one language to another and often make for tedious reading. Another problem is the Christianity that is presented in the novel is Russian Orthodox, similar to Eastern Orthodox, it is very different from the Christianity we experience in the west. I go several days at a time in avoiding the reading of it, so after these weeks I'm only at the halfway point, sigh and groan. I hadn't heard or known anything about this story or it's author, I saw it on our bookshelf (my husband purchased it a couple of years ago) and decided to dive in. Interestingly the topic of what atheists believe and think are explored in this story and the hero of this story struggles with these amoral people from the context of his Russian Orthodox beliefs. Although I have encountered these (atheistic) beliefs before, and not just from atheists, but directly from my own mistaken and fallen understanding of what I wanted to believe prior to being saved...encountering them in this story is timely, considering the recent events and my own struggles with the blasphemous utterings from "former Christians turned atheists". I hope to give a blogpost or two in the future (after finishing this drudgery of a book reading) to explore a few things that come up in this assignment....in the meantime, I share a debate that I enjoyed between an atheist and a Christian:


Dinesh D'Souza: "It's not an intellectual revolt, it IS a moral revolt"

Why Evil?

A few days ago a commenter named Alice wanted me to "open my mind" to other possibilities being true and to read the writings that began her journey away from the Bible and Jesus. I want to touch on a couple of points that I found particularly annoying, starting with the idea that God created satan, and Adam and Eve fully intending for them to go wrong.

The first scripture this philosopher/preacher brings up is:

"For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain until now" Romans 8:20-22

His comments on this verse:
"Wow! Did you know that scripture is in the Bible? Have you ever meditated at length on its meaning? This one scripture does much damage to Christian doctrine. From a strictly carnal-minded approach, this scripture is devastating....The force of these verses in Rom. 8:20-22 is inescapable. It was God HIMSELF who subjected the whole creation to vanity, and He didn't ask anyone's permission before He did it. And it is only God Himself who will deliver the whole creation from the bondage of corruption, pain, and suffering. Make no mistake about it: God is the Creator of evil, and He takes full responsibility for the deliverance from the consequences of all the evils that have caused the creation to 'groan and travail in PAIN until NOW as Paul describes. God takes responsibility for the temporary failures of creation so that He can take all the credit and glory for its successes."

The Apostle Peter had words for such musings when he said:

2Peter 3:11-17  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?   Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;
  
even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;  as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.  

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. (KJV)

Where do I even begin to untangle that mess of false doctrine?

First, to his credit, he admits this is view is from his "carnal perspective". What I get out of that passage in Romans by keeping the whole of what the Lord provides for our learning in the Bible in view; that God subjected creation to the consequence of it's vanity which is bondage of our corruption, with the means (Jesus redemption) of reclaiming some of creation (hope) rather than scrapping the whole of it (which would have been justified) into the dustbin of eternity (hell). Instead he concocts a whole new theology out of it that makes God a co-conspirator with evil so that He can then take responsibility for this evil by redeeming ALL of creation, since it was He Himself that made it to fail so that He could redeem all of it to His own glory and credit. God created something that could follow His instructions with happy consequences....or go against His instructions with unhappy consequences. The consequences were and are widespread, to all of creation. The cure is also found by following God's instructions, but many won't, and it is true that it is by His leading, His Spirit, and many won't seek it, in fact are unable to seek it unless God places it in our/their heart to do so.


This writer continues on, and on, and on, explaining further, with more mangling of scripture taken out of context, why there is no hell which I will lightly touch on in another post....and now I need another Advil.

Another Post on Hell

I've touched on the topic of hell from time to time, I have a video on Bible Treasures here that explains from scripture what it is and why it is.

From most pastors descriptions of it we get this mental picture:

That isn't what I see in scripture. What I see is even more terrifying. This is what I see from the Bible what hell will be like:

The depictions of burning and agony are descriptions of "likeness"....like me trying to describe the color red to someone who is blind. From the descriptions of "outer darkness" and "weeping and gnashing of teeth" I see a consciousness that still has understanding and forever feels the horror of being outside of the presence of God (all that is good, merciful and true understanding of all things that are godly) to be left only with their own dark thoughts of selfishness seething and writhing in their conscious thoughts, in eternal, dark, solitary confinement to themselves, because it is themselves whom they worshiped instead of God.

A couple of posts ago Alice asked me to read a link (if you wish to search it out you can find it, but I won't put it here, I find it to be a huge waste of time and effort, so I hope to spare you that trouble). I did read this man's thoughts on the topic of hell and why he doesn't believe there is one...the same tired reason I keep hearing about: "A loving  God would not send anyone to hell", then gives only those verses that seem to support his notions that a "true god" (of his imaginings) could never send anyone to hell because it is God who is responsible for making us fallible, therefore, He will simply and graciously forgive everyone because it was all His fault to begin with...because God created us to be like Him and the only way we could become like Him is if we ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil....wait....isn't that what the serpent told Eve? And, isn't the serpent in the garden of Eden....satan, the devil?....so, was satan then actually telling Eve the.....truth? Sigh. Anyway, yeah, gave me a huge headache to read his ramblings....and, sadly, it is no wonder that poor Alice went further and further away from the truth by believing and trusting this kind of foolishness....if you can drop one fact given in the Bible, why not continue on and find more "evidence" that the Bible contradicts itself and that it's all just a bunch of stories or fairytales or what have you.

However, like it or not, there is a God, who sent His Son to die for our sins in our place, who will keep those who are born of His Spirit from getting their just desserts, hell. Whether we believe the truth or not, whether we want to believe whatever it is we would rather believe, it won't change the truth. Even if I could convince EVERYONE, that what is true really isn't, and that what I want to put in its place is so much better than what the Bible says is true, that my ideas are so much more profound, so logical, so appeasing and pleasant, so loving (I would be elevating myself in place of God here...do you see where I'm going with this?)...rejecting the truth of God, and wanting to replace my ideas with what God has made, and done, and what He promised He will do.....I have then made myself the emperor of the kingdom of myself....and He will give me the desires of my heart as a reward, or rather, as a punishment, because if I continue in that way, I will be in hell, with myself as my "god" forever, and my loyal subject is only myself, forever...and forever I will seethe in the reality of where that self love brought me.

God's love, however, is the kind that would die to self to save another. God's love is exemplified in Jesus, who died for sinners who did not deserve His love. His love doesn't save everyone. Those who love themselves so much that there is no room for God, will get what they worship, they will get what they love, they will end up with what they deserved. Those who repented, and humbled themselves before a holy God, who are born of His Spirit, and who then receive the gift of faith which brings them into true communion with Him (not as a religion, but as a reality) who would and do lay their lives down for their faith in Him, will get what they worship, eternity with a holy and loving God and all the good things that come with that eternal reward.

Seek Him while He yet may be found, and beg His forgiveness...and if you feel that He has not granted you the request of being renewed by Him, continue to be that beggar that begs His mercy, that seeks His forgiveness, and that seeks to forgive others and love others in the manner that He loves us.

God is a loving God, but He is also a just God. He will give everyone according to what we deserve. To those who seek forgiveness, He will forgive (not earned or deserved, it is grace). To those who seek self-gratification and self-righteousness and self-justification, He will give the reward of having themselves, forever, without Him, in hell, because hell is being eternally separated from God, eternally separated from the light of Truth, only  having yourself and your own lies and self-delusions to keep you company forever. Do not seek justice, because truly we all deserve that awful fate of being eternally separated from God. Instead of justice (eye for an eye) seek mercy and forgiveness, and if you continue in seeking He promised that He would lead you to Himself. That is my hope for all my unsaved family and friends, and for you dear reader that is reading this right now.

What is Meant by Total Depravity

 And now...(drum roll )
             the topic of depravity of unregenerate man...

http://asatisfiedspirit.com/2013/04/30/i-believe/

What Presbyterians really mean by terms such as "Original Sin," "Total Depravity," and "Inability of the Will" is defined by our Confession of Faith, Chapter 10, Section 3: "Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto." http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/dabney/5points.htm

 And from the CRTA (Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics) website:

 

Total Depravity is probably the most misunderstood tenet of Calvinism. When Calvinists speak of humans as "totally depraved," they are making an extensive, rather than an intensive statement. The effect of the fall upon man is that sin has extended to every part of his personality -- his thinking, his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being.
The unregenerate (unsaved) man is dead in his sins (Romans 5:12). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel (Mark 4:11f). This is why Total Depravity has also been called "Total Inability." The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God's making him alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5).
 http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/index.html

I really appreciate the distinction the CRTA link makes about the unregenerate state of depravity being extensive rather than intensive. This is a crucial point and where most get hung up on the truth of this aspect of our relationship with our Creator/Redeemer. The fact that the fall has effected and infected every part of our being and extensively so is the very reason we are unable to turn to Jesus, unable to be sincere in our quest of Him, and unable to hear and/or understand His calling out to us.....UNLESS He intervenes and causes it to be so. 

 Everything about us, our understanding, our will or desire, our emotions, are self-directed NOT God-directed prior to salvation. Even if we are religious while unregenerate we cannot please God in this condition (I was very religious while unregenerate as a Seventh day Adventist, and then later as a Mormon, and then further into that regression in my unregenerate faith I was absolutely on fire for paganism in the new age movement) therefore our religion is to effect ourselves some credit for doing good out of our self-appropriated "goodness" rather than a true seeking of redemption from the hellfire we ought to know we are headed for (which we all deserve for the fact that we do not attain to the holiness required to avoid such a fate) without redeeming grace to assist us. This knowledge, this understanding does not enter into the unregenerate mind UNLESS it enters into it by the Lord's intervention, opening the understanding to the true hopelessness of our own situation without Christ's intervening and redemptive love. The fact that not all are redeemed some will say, reveals that God lacks love, however it reveals the fact that it is His love, not ours, that redeems us. Our love comes only in response to the love that is activated in our hearts which, prior to His intervention, is incapable of the agape love, the truly selfless love, spoken of in scripture...a love that continues even when rejected and martyred for the truth. 

The question: If God is so loving, forgiving and merciful, why does He send many to hell?

The two seem incompatible in our way of thinking, but we still think of things with our fleshy understanding of what is right and what is wrong. If we can come to grips with the truth about what depravity is, that we all truly deserve hell, than one person not getting what he/she deserves proves the point about God's unlimited mercy. He doesn't have to prove anything. He is God. But however, He chose to prove to His creation those things that are true about Himself through the means He has given. The Bible puts it this way: If a pot is constructed poorly does the pot then say to the potter "why did you make me this way?" ...we know that pottery has no way of addressing a potter, and likewise, unregenerate man has no way of addressing God. The Bible states that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. This is talking about a spiritual condition and we know this because it is talking about our sinful state, that sin caused us to be spiritually dead. Dead means dead. There was NO means of communicating with a living God because there was a huge chasm of separation (or a barrier, if you like that mental image better) between us where nothing, no communication of any kind, was able to cross over....but God made a way of crossing over...by a cross....and even then He has to communicate  it to us, and spark that life and light into our understanding to  bring us over that chasm or through that impenetrable barrier.

If we think we are somehow able to credit ourselves with being good enough to enter into God's presence, we are still deceived with the notion that there is some inherent goodness which is able to gain God's respect, that somehow we can choose to force God's hand to give us what we want for ourselves. Many are deceived by that. There is absolutely nothing in us that is deserving of anything of God. If we can truly come to understand that, it is only by God's grace because our vanity won't penetrate that truth unless we have divine help...and once understanding it, then Jesus supplies us the ability to trust and to believe that Jesus is making the way for us out of our dire situation.
 
If this somehow helps someone, praise the Lord...I know that I can change no one,I can help no one unless it is the Lord Jesus intervening on your behalf, sparking His truth into your being. I can hope and pray that He may use these words to touch and heal someone of their separation from Him, to bring them out of their total depravity, and into the kingdom of His holiness and perfection and love.


 

Can We Lose Our Salvation?

 

 

http://ayay.co.uk/background/art/danish/the-tiger-arrives-at-the-two-martyrs/

Perseverance of the Saints

Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine which states that the saints (those whom God has saved) will remain in God's hand until they are glorified and brought to abide with him in heaven. Romans 8:28-39 makes it clear that when a person truly has been regenerated by God, he will remain in God's stead. The work of sanctification which God has brought about in his elect will continue until it reaches its fulfillment in eternal life (Phil. 1:6). Christ assures the elect that he will not lose them and that they will be glorified at the "last day" (John 6:39). The Calvinist stands upon the Word of God and trusts in Christ's promise that he will perfectly fulfill the will of the Father in saving all the elect.

 http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/index.html

Many believe you can "lose" or "give back" salvation, a sort of cosmic abortion, if you will. Does that even make sense? If God begins something, He completes it (Phil 1:6) so if you "become" unregenerate, you were never His to begin with. (1 John 2:19)

It is possible to torture the text to make it confess all sorts of things... true, I see it all the time. The ones most guilty of such butchery are the ones who are most convinced that they can lose their salvation and that they chose God in order to be saved. God didn't leave such important work in our own hands to mangle, to  manipulate salvation out of Him, and then later toss aside saying "I can decide to do whatever I want because God gave me that choice". My husband says: "If you have the power to choose to be saved, you also have the power to lose it." (see John 10:29) 


" All the angels, and Adam, received from their Creator holy natures; yet our first father and the fallen angels show that they could totally fall away into sin. No one in himself is absolutely incapable of sinning, except the unchangeable God. Converted men, who still have indwelling sin, must certainly be as capable of falling as Adam, who had none. We believe that the saints will certainly stand, because the God who chose them will certainly hold them up." Link

Do we really believe we are better than Adam and Eve and the holy angels of God to keep our own salvation secure? In the gospel of John chapter 6 we see many who followed after Jesus turn away from Him and follow Him no more (John 6:66) after He told them

 John 6:65  And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." (KJV)

This is one of the most comforting aspects of the fact that it is God who saves us and God who keeps us saved....so why do so many reject Jesus at His word?

 
 John 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
John 6:64a  But there are some of you who do not believe."(KJV)

ohhhh.....yes, I see.

Read the links for more indepth study:

 http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/index.html
 http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/dabney/5points.htm

A couple of posts ago I stated I would talk about our Total depravity (the "T" in TULIP)....I forgot....so I'll go into that next time :)

Chosen by God

Yesterday's post about the reformation and what we now call Calvinism barely scratched at the surface of the issues regarding how we regard God's sovereign rule over us. Before reading this offering please read the previous post, and links provided would also be a good read in preparing to approach the topics that I hope to touch on.

In debating with "anti-Calvinists" three things that irritate them the most come up, and I'll try to talk a little about them in separate posts. The three things are:

1. God not giving us the choice of being saved or not

2. Universal atonement vs. limited atonement

3. Perseverance of the saints (or what it has degraded into with "OSAS")

We'll start with #1.
Did God leave the saving power on our side? To choose or not to choose, that is the question....

I recently had a discussion over this with a couple of men who vehemently oppose Calvinism and promote the idea that John Calvin is a "pope of the Calvinists". One man boasts that he is very knowledgeable on the topic of evil Calvinism, stating that he has researched this for 40 years, yet in my discussions with him he acknowledged that he has never read anything written by John Calvin, or even Charles Spurgeon, stating that he doesn't want to poison his brain with such things. He said some other quite remarkable things that left me wondering why anyone was still giving his comments "likes" and calling me some kind of heretic for trying to tell others to go to the sources to read these things for themselves. I was going to share some of these characters' comments which reveal just how little they understand about this subject, but the one with the most ridiculous comments has deleted them all. Therefore we will look at what Mr. P has to say regarding unconditional election:

 First I'll start with a very brief overview of how God saved me in answer to his question:

Mr. P: "Susan did God force you to love him Or did you see God and run to him and love him because he first loved you"

Me:  "I was brought up "religious" in SDA, reading the Bible, asking and not receiving, yet God did it later after I went through all kinds of paganism and witchcraft, and He got me while I was on drugs and not able to help myself. That is grace"

Mr. P:  "I was brought up in catholics then I read the bible and saw the truth and make the free will choice to love my God who saved me"

 Me: "Believe whatever you want to Mr. P, I'll take God at His word in what He says in His word to me. He chose me and I take full comfort in it, you can thank yourself for choosing Him, I'll thank God for choosing me."

then he says

Mr. P: "Your God a raper and Calvinism just as bad as all the other false stuff you were in.. Susan get save ask Jesus to forgvie (sic) your sins he will .He ask you he does not force you to love him .He not a rapist .God seek ALL to be saved . Love does not force itself bible says plainly"

hmmm, alrightythen...yeah, I can see where Mr. P found THAT in scripture.

Me: "You choose to see a Sovereign God as a rapist because you still judge with the "eyes of the flesh", if you don't see it I cannot force you to understand things of the Spirit because you still judge by your lusts of your flesh. Take care, I'm done"

Mr. P:  "Susan did God force souls to go to hell . .God cannot judge someone he force to sin and force to reject him"

Me:  "the fall of man in the garden of Eden caused all to be destined for hell, but grace of God allows some to not receive justice instead receive mercy, gift, not earned through choosing, God chooses some, His word is everywhere but not all choose because most have not been given that ability, even many who hear the word preached cannot hear because the gift of hearing is not given, those who repent are given sight to see the truth about their utter depravity and are given the gift of repentance. We have nothing that hadn't been given to us by God."

The difference, bottom line, is that Mr. P thinks the person being saved is the primary object of importance, when in fact the Bible reveals that everything that happens is not for man's sake but to reveal the truth and mercy of God. The problem with most "Christians" today is they do not admit or understand what complete and utter depravity is. They believe there is still a little bit of their own innate goodness that gives them the freedom to choose God. The Bible reveals that we all are utterly hopeless and slaves to sin, worse than that, we are "dead in our trespasses" (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13) which is....well, dead is dead. Dead people don't make choices any more than Lazarus "chose" to come forth when Jesus called to the dead man Lazarus and said "Lazarus! Come forth!" (John 11:32-43)

So in the next episode I will explore the utter depravity of our natural condition prior to the saving power of God who transformed us by the power of His will.

Resolution to Do Better

On New Years Day I committed to reading the Bible every morning and evening....especially trying to do that first before anything else in my day, and the last thing I do at night. I've messed up a couple of times but on the whole it has been a successful endeavor.

I've noticed that no matter what happens throughout the day I am much more relaxed and in control in a good way. In control used to mean wrestling control back when I felt I had lost my hold of a situation. Now it is simply resting on the fact that I know God has this....and everything...and He really does know what He's doing...however previously I would have to work hard at keeping that understanding in mind, and now the difference is that it just is that way without me having to work that into my thinking processes.

Psalm 65:8b ...Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.


and to those who do not regard Him:



Job 4:17-21  Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
  Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
They are destroyed from morning to evening:
They perish for ever without any regarding it.  
Doth not their excellency which is in them go away?
 They die, even without wisdom.


As I get older I understand more and more deeply the wisdom of God's word to us...and it is meant for blessing and health in our bones and for that true peace that persists no matter what terrible things happen, because everything in this world is temporary and going away anyway. But the ones who are called of the Lord are with Him forever.

Magic Powers

image link

Before I was saved I semi-believed in the possibility of having or acquiring magic powers. When I “evolved” through my various religious beliefs (Seventh-day Adventism, Mormonism, New age Movement) that idea gained strength and to my way of thinking back then, was much more than just a possibility.

 Many of today’s Christian congregations seem to have gone through a similar path of “evolution”. It isn’t just the “name it and claim it” people anymore (remember how “we who knew better” used to snicker at their absurdities?) but it is entering into many denominations and spreading like a bad case of the flu, so that even people who seemed to have a firm grip on the truth are being led away into this parallel Christianity which is a cheap imitation of the real thing; a false religion.

I’ve touched on the topic of the falling away previously, but I haven’t really explored it from the angle of us having the power to transform ourselves from one thing to another.

Every new year we all make new year’s resolutions and quickly discover just how much power we do not possess over ourselves. So what about having the power to become saved, and thereby also the power to become unsaved? Do any of us possess such power? This reminds me of Simon the magician:

Act 8:9  But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.

Act 8:10  They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great."

Act 8:11  And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

Act 8:12  But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Act 8:13  Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Act 8:14  Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

Act 8:15  who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

Act 8:16  for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Act 8:17  Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Act 8:18  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

Act 8:19  saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Act 8:20  But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

Act 8:21  You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

Act 8:22  Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

Act 8:23  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."

Act 8:24  And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

With Simon it is said “he believed” but we know that there is more to being saved than simply believing. The Holy Spirit must enter into the heart of the believer and it is God, not ourselves, who changes us into His new creation from the inside out. It is much like the pattern He has shown us in nature by the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. He made it so, not the caterpillar, although it is the caterpillar that makes the chrysalis in which this transformation occurs. So is that power in the caterpillar or in the Creator who made it so?

The book of Job has many such questions to help us understand just how puny our powers really are.

Job 38:31  "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?

Job 38:32  Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,

 or can you guide the Bear with its children?

Job 38:33  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

 Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Job 38:34  "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you?

Job 38:35  Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?

Job 38:36  Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?

Job 38:37  Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

Job 38:38  when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?

Job 38:39  "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions?”

Job 38:40  when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket?

Job 38:41  Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?

These are good questions to ask myself next time I think I have power to save myself or others, or cause myself to lose my salvation somehow. Should this make me angry at God because He has reserved the power for Himself alone; to give or not give as He chooses? Or should that knowledge humble me (as it did Simon the magician)  before Him, knowing that His power is also merciful and can save me from the destiny of annihilation that I deserve?

There's a huge difference between having a religion and having a transformed life in Christ.  When I was SDA, Mormon, etc, I could come and go from one religion to the next as I pleased. When God changed me He closed a door behind me. Praise the Lord for He is all powerful and all merciful and gracious and He alone is Holy and can make holy through His power alone.