A Peaceable Bravery

"Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

I hope that all of you have had a merry Christmas, and that the Lord has been blessing you through it!

Today, I am going to break the long-standing blogger's tradition of writing a post about the true meaning of Christmas. If you really want to know about that subject, look through my past posts about the Gospel. However, in spite of the possible disappointment which may be created as a result of not posting about Christmas, I will now turn to a somewhat unrelated subject.

Within the Church there is a powerful wave of folly existing in the hearts of the people. This folly is within each and every one of us, and everyone is guilty of it at some point or another. I am speaking of the folly of obtrusive bravery. This bravery, which is no bravery at all, is one which seeks to intrude in an unmerited way into a situation in order to bring about discussion about one's beliefs. For example, I would be exercising this foolishness if I walked onto the sidewalk holding a sign which says, "Turn or burn!", and screaming at random passersby through a megaphone, telling them that they are all heading for Hell. Some persons (aside from the ones being screamed at) would see this as immense courage, since it would certainly gain a massive amount of hatred directed toward me and the God which I am claiming to represent. However, this is utter foolishness, a "bravery" which comes from the Devil himself.

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:13-17)

Wisdom which is from the Devil is aimed to bring about strife. It is not peaceable and gentle, but rather leads to a "courageous" obtrusiveness which causes people to absolutely abhor us and the God we serve. The fact of the matter is, we Christians are called to be gentle. Gentleness is the fruit, not of cowardice, but of holiness and Spirit-filled living. We are not fighting a war against mortals, but rather against demonic doctrines and the devilish rulers in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). However, far too often we act as if we were actually fighting against the men with whom we are speaking, as if being rude will force their hand to either accept or reject Christ. 
 
Christian, we are called to a life of peace and gentleness. In ministering to those who may not be saved, or are saved and yet have misunderstandings about the basics of our faith (predestination for instance), we must never be obtrusive or harsh. If we do so, we must understand that a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov. 15:1). If we are obtrusive and rude, we will cause strife, which destroys our testimony (for we are seen as mere bringers of strife and hateful) and makes it impossible for us to minister to others. Moreover, if we continue to act in such a rude manner (especially to those within the Body of Christ), the Bible declares that we must be thrown out of the Church because doing so will split the Church (Titus 3:10-11). Very harsh consequences for a very fleshly act.

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,  to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless." (Titus 3:1-9)

Again, we are called to a life of peaceful bravery, being at peace with all men if we are so able (Rom. 12:18). We must be like Christ, who was so gentle that He did not even reply harshly against His accusers (Matthew 27:12). Our calling requires us to suffer for doing good to all men, not being obtuse and feeling the consequences of it (1 Pet. 2:18-23). Realize that we don't have to be harsh, or intrusive in bringing the Bible to others in order to suffer as Christ did. Rather, all we must do is do good to men and preach the Word with peaceable bravery, for it is the content of the message which should anger people, not the foolishness of the speaker in the way he communicates it (John 3:19-21). Therefore, we are to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration to all men, even if they do not understand. We are here to win people's souls, not arguments (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
  
May the grace and peace of God be with you all. 

The Understandable Standard

                Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind. 

Because we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Because when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, Because no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 

...the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. 

Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness...

These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” 

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 

...Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 

(Selected portions of 2 Peter)

 

Brethren, I hope that you take the time to read through, not only the above portions, but the whole of 2 Peter. It is quite a magnificent book of which I am just now being shown the vast significance. If I could mine through this book in proper detail, as is demanded by it, it would take far more posts than I can currently dedicate to it. Moreover, my knowledge of the Greek is not currently up to par, which it must be if I am to properly take away the full teaching of this text. Therefore, I will be focusing upon a very small portion of teaching found therein which has been brought to the fore of my mind recently by the Lord's working in my life.

This post will be focusing upon the understandability of all Scripture, its objectivity and its sufficiency to instruct us on what it is truly saying. In doing so, this will shed light upon the destructive blasphemy which proceeds from many persons claiming to properly understand the Word and Christ. I pray that the Lord will use this to steady the knees of the weak in faith and crush the legs of the proud.

 

Have you ever been in a debate about some theological issue, and had the person with whom you are speaking say, "Well that's just your interpretation!", or, "You can't say that is what the Bible truly means, since the Bible is subject to the interpretation of the individual!" Maybe the other person did not say that, but you yourself did. Either way, you understand the two theologies which are conflicting here. These I will call Self-perceived Interpretation and Spirit-led Interpretation. 

 

If we study these two theologies, we find the former theology declares that it is the individual on his own that determines what the Scripture means. This presupposes that men come to the Bible with presuppositions, gained from life-experiences, environment, culture, and teachings gained from parents or parental figures. These presuppositions, etc., are inseparable from the individual and thus, unknowingly, color his thinking about the text of Scripture. Thus, even if one still argues that the Scripture has only one "true" interpretation, such interpretation cannot be made by the people of today. Therefore, Scripture is not understandable and thus one cannot now say, "Thus saith the Lord". Either this, or one just believes that the Bible was never understandable to begin with and thus every interpretation of it is just as valid as the next.

 

The latter theology also rests upon the idea that the Bible is not understandable. That is, it is not understandable to man's mind (please pay careful attention to what I am writing so that you understand what I am saying), because man cannot understand the truth. This is because they are totally depraved, unwilling to submit to God and His teaching (Rom. 3:10-18). As a result, the Lord blinds their eyes, stops their ears, and closes their minds (Isaiah 6:9). Thus, we find that although the Word of God is sown upon many men, most of them do not understand it (Matthew 13:18-22). Thus, according to the Parable of the Sower, misunderstanding is not the fault of the Word of God, but of the unrepentant heart of the hearer. 

 

In spite of this, the Word of God is understood by some (Mat. 13:23). This is an impossibility if we rely upon men to do this, because understanding of the Word always brings forth fruit unto righteousness, which is in keeping with repentance, without which no man will see God (Luke 3:8-9, 6:43-45), and we know that it is impossible for man to save himself from the wrath of God (Mat. 19:25-26). Therefore, there must be an outside agent which grants him understanding of the Word. What (or who) is this agent? The Holy Spirit is according to 1 John 2:27 (cf. vs. 20-21, Acts 10:38, 44-48, 2 Cor. 1:21-22, John 14:25-26, 16:12-15). Thus, it is the Spirit of God that illuminates the mind, bringing men to the true knowledge of God and sanctifying the repentant with the truth of the Bible (John 17:17, cf. Rom. 8:28-30). 

 

Knowing the above, we can declare, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Spirit is more than capable of granting knowledge to the repentant and does so according to the Will of the Father and of Christ. Therefore, the Bible can ultimately be understood, but only to those whom the Lord has subjugated and granted sonship.

 

Now that we have sufficiently spoken to this issue of Spirit-led Interpretation, let us turn to 2 Peter (as I said I would).

 

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 

 

According to this first portion, the Lord has granted to us everything we need  for life and godliness. What is the vessel utilized for this granting? It is the true knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. This knowledge comes through understanding the Scriptures, for nothing else is sufficient for equipping the Man of God for every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2:15, 24-26, 3:1-9). Only through faith in this Word will we be granted moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. If these things are not found in a man, then he is not saved since no good tree bears bad fruit, and every bad-fruit-bearing tree is cut down and thrown into Hell (Luke 6:43, Mat. 7:15-23).     

 

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind. Because we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Because when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.  

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, Because no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 

 

Peter understood that the Holy Spirit grants the repentant knowledge of the truth and will lead them into further understanding of the Word. This is why he knows that these believers already have been established in the truth, and that he can stir them to the aforementioned love and good deeds (cf. Hebrews 10:24). This is not only because the Spirit is capable of producing this, but also because the declarations and doctrines which they have pronounced are not misleading falsehoods about Christ. Rather, the Message (Logos) from God (which is, and is summed up in, Christ, cf. John 1, esp. vs. 17) which they preached was sure and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), powerful enough to produce light within the hearts of the repentant and create good works within them. 

 

How is this possible if men cannot understand it? The message preached by the Apostles (which is only "Christ and Him crucified", 1 Cor. 1:23) was crafted solely by the Holy Spirit and not by their own imaginations (2 Tim. 3:16, cf. John 14:25-26). Because of this, we can say that, just as the other prophecies of Scripture, the doctrines of God found within the whole of Scripture is not a matter of the interpretations of the individual. Rather, they were created by the Holy Spirit who spoke directly through the Prophets, Writers, Apostles, and the Son. Therefore, as we established above, the Spirit interprets the Scripture and reveals it to the repentant (I may speak about how this happens later, but for now let us move on), and thus the Word has a fixed meaning understandable to those whose hearts have been born of the Will of God (John 1:12-13). 

 

"Are you saying then that all those denominations out there are then wrong!"

 

If anyone agrees with the Word, then he is right. However, if anyone disagrees with the Word, he is wrong. This has nothing to do with "us vs. them". Rather, it is truth vs. error. If one refuses to believe the Word, he is by definition wrong, no matter who he is. However, this is not merely his fault, since no man understands or seeks after God on his own (Rom. 3:11). Rather, the Spirit has not worked in them yet to produce that fruit of knowledge. Therefore, they do not understand because their hearts are still holding on to some sin or another. This is not to say that misunderstanding a passage means that you are not saved. Rather, it means that you are immature in your faith in some area, and thus must be propelled onward by other believers to understand the Word, all through the working of the Spirit.

 

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 

...the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. 

Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness...

These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” 

But do not be deceived, there are wolves among us. These are men who declare destructive heresies, teachings which are not in accordance with the Words of Christ (1 Tim. 6:3-10). In doing so, they act as Balaam, a sorcerer who lead Israel astray towards other gods (Numbers 31, esp. vs. 16). This is especially true of those who preach that the Bible cannot be understood. Why? Because if the Bible cannot be understood, then God is a liar for saying all that He has, and may every man be found a liar and God be found blameless (Rom. 3:4). Therefore, if someone proclaims that God is a liar, he does not know the Scriptures nor the power of God, and thus must repent and believe the Gospel. For those who preach these heresies, they are stains and blemishes on the Church, loving to deceive others, enticing them by their lusts to follow after the Devil, speaking words out of arrogance, sensual, enslaving men in their sins, dogs returning to vomit and pigs returning to the mudpits from whence they came (cf. Jude). 

 

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.     

Again we find that some Scripture is hard to understand. The Holy Spirit here declares that some of what Paul wrote, as well as other portions of Scripture, are hard to understand. However, it is only impossible to understand for those who are untaught and unstable. Truly, you can know what every verse means if you are taught of God. However, if you are unstable, not only will you twist the "harder" parts of Scripture, but you will also twist the rest of Scripture. 

 

Because of this, we must be on our guard so that we are not brought into the error of the untaught and unstable. If we are not on guard, we will no longer be steadfast in the truth, stunting our growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is why the truth is so vital, and why we must believe that every verse can be understood. If we do not, then it is impossible to grow in Christ, and God's Promises are null and void.

Am I saying then that everyone who disagrees with me is wrong? No, nor am I saying that disagreeing with me on an issue is wrong in any form. Rather, anyone (including myself) who disagrees with the understandable standard of the Word of God is wrong. This doctrine must be held high, for without it we Christians of all people are to be the most pitied (1 Cor. 15:9).

 

May Christ grant you all the Knowledge of Himself.

FYI

If anyone here has found inconsistencies with my last two posts, you caught me. These are the current product of a changing mind, and I am currently researching more in order to understand these doctrines as they are found in the Bible. So, be patient with me, for I am still searching out these issues.

God's Sovereignty vs. Man's Will Part 2

I want to start out by saying that this warfare over predestination has taken a turn away from Scripture and into a misconstruction of Election. Whenever one says, "I believe that the Lord saves and man has nothing to do with his salvation", instantly the philosophical meanderings of John Calvin are brought up and debated on a non-Scriptural, philosophical plane. It seems that we care more about our disagreements and agreements with theologians than with the Word of God. However, if we are to understand what the Lord told us, we must throw Calvin, Arminius, and every other theologian and philosopher aside and merely look at Scripture. Not saying that all theologians are unhelpful, but rather that God's Word is all we need to be made wise, understanding His Will and Plan (Psalm 19:7-9).

With that in mind, let us go to the very beginning of time.

In the beginning was the God, the Triune Lord. In this state, the Father loved the Son and the Spirit, the Son loved the Spirit and the Father, the Spirit loved the Father and the Son. It was a perfect, loving, holy relationship within Elohim (Hebrew name for God, its plural ending emphasizes the three-in-oneness of God). It was in this state wherein the Father made a wondrous decree to the Son:

"You are My Son,
On that day I have begotten You,
Ask Me (note: a command in Hebrew), and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the ends of the Earth as Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware." (Psalm 2:7-9)

In this passage, we find the very goal of all creation, and specifically of all men: we are a gift to the Son. This is especially important to bear in mind throughout this entire discussion, for it colors all that we must know as Christians. 

Because the Son loves the Father and does all that He commands (John 14:31), Christ asked His Father for the nations and the World. Thus, God created the Heavens and the Earth.

In man's beginning, he was created as a son of God (Luke 3:38). Why was he created this way? Well, he was made to be the Image and likeness of God, specifically the image of the Son (thus, Adam was to be one of the many brethren which God predestined to be the Image of His Son, Rom. 8:28-29). If sin had not entered the world through the Fall of Adam, his descendants would all then be children of God.
Yet, this would not work in God's decree.

[Please remember, a decree is that which causes something to come to pass or into being ("Let there be light!"), it is not something that merely looks ahead at that which will come to pass on its own ("There will be light."). Thus, God's decree is a creative declaration which causes, by the merit of it being God's omnipotent command, all that it says to come into being. But I digress.]

If God's decree is to take place, man must fall. Please keep reading and paying close attention. Man must fall if Christ is to break him with a rod of iron and shatter him like a clay pot. It must take place. So, through God's decree, and not His authorship, sin entered the Perfect World. Man fell, and God had to kill him for his iniquity (Gen. 2:17). So, all the world was placed under a curse and judgement from God, leading to death (Rom. 3:9-18, 5:12, 6:23, etc.). 

However, what now was God to do? (I am speaking, as Paul did, in "human terms") If every man was evil, then Christ must destroy all of them. If this happens, Christ will not have an inheritance left. Yet God's decree reached beyond this seeming dilemma, for nothing can stop Him. 

Look again to the beginning of time with the Lord. Listen to the parable of the Wheat and Tares.

"Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven was (Note: the original greek is in the past tense here) compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" (Mat. 13:24-30)

What does this passage say about our topic? Well, look at Christ's explanation:

"Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.' And He said, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.'" (Mat. 13:36-43)

Now we have the keys to understand the passage and its significance to our topic. Christ sowed good seed, the Sons of the Kingdom, into the World (not the Church, but the World). After Christ did this, Satan came in and sowed tares (weeds), those who are his sons, into the world amongst the wheat. These two plants, wheat and tares, are growing together in this world now, and both seem to look alike at times (cf. vs. 29). Nevertheless, these two plants are inherently different from the beginning, and are always different, even to the end. Once the end has come, the angels will gather both the wheat and the tares, the first to the Kingdom, and the last to Hell (Revelation 14:14-20, 20:11-15, etc.)

This parable can only fit with a complete recounting of all of history. In the very beginning, Christ sowed His people into the world. These are the ones who were predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, making them brethren with Christ (Rom. 8:28-29). However, Satan infiltrated the world, by the fall of man, and thus sowed his own sons into the world (note: he did not create them, rather they are those who do just as He does and will never repent of their ways). All of this flows well with my last post, and I suggest reading my last one to better understand this difference between sons of God and sons of the Devil.

If you still do not know what I am getting at, here it is:

God, in the very beginning, decreed that His Son would inherit the world and mankind. Some of these men would be crushed, whilst others would be His brethren. So, God created the world. In this world, He sovereignly planned and placed His Sons (Christ's brethren). If sin had not entered, these sons would be the only one's created, and they would have inherited the world and ruled alongside Christ for eternity. However, God decreed that men must fall in order to be destroyed. Thus, God sovereignly decreed that Satan would introduce sin into humanity, causing his downfall. This sowed sons of the Devil into this perfect world, leaving tares among the wheat. Nevertheless, the wheat were still wheat. The sons of the kingdom were still sons of the kingdom, they never became tares. These wheat were destined, by nature of being wheat, to be gathered into the barns.

Yet, these wheat had to be destroyed for justice's sake, since they sinned, just like the tares. However, God was not stopped. He sent His only begotten Son to live and die in the place of the wheat, thus allowing them to enter Heaven through Faith. However, these wheat were much like the tares: without faith or anything good in them. Thus, God caused them to believe in Christ, granting the believing ones eternal life. This in turn ensured their eternal life, allowing God's judgement to pass over them and onto His Son.  

Now, the tares were never the sons of God. No, they are by nature sons of the Devil. As a result, they must inherit the judgement placed on their father: burning in Hell for eternity, crushed under the weight of Christ's wrath. This is their decreed doom, and it cannot be undone. 

Not everyone can be saved, nor can everyone go to Hell, since both would undermine God's Decree. Thus, God proceeded with His aforementioned plan.

This is why the Elect are elect, why they gain faith and no-one else does, why they cannot lose their salvation, why they are justified, and all other implications of the Gospel. 

I will be continuing on this subject later, since I have merely scratched the surface of this issue and much more needs to be addressed.

God Bless. 

God's Soveriegnty vs. Man's Will

Well, it has been a very long time since I have posted anything, and I have felt guilty because of this. It is my God-given duty to proclaim the Gospel, and I have done poorly at that lately. So, by His grace, I have been able to devote some time to this post. It is on the sovereignty of God and its relation to salvation and man's will. This is a very controversial topic, but only because of our sin. In this post, I will briefly go over many foundational truths of the Gospel, and I beg you to pay attention and read to the end. This is not even the beginning of the wonderful grace which God has granted us to know through the Bible, but it is a good place to peer into the marvelous plan of God called the Gospel.

 

As with every theological truth, we must start with the basics. The current problem of mankind goes back to the Fall of man (and finds its origin in an eternal decree of God, but I will get into that in later posts). When Adam decided to rebel against the authority of God and submit himself to Satan, God made a most interesting decree. In Genesis 3:15, God said to Satan,

 

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel."     

In part, God is speaking of the ultimate Seed of the woman, which is Christ, the Son of God. What is extremely crucial for us to also grasp is that the first half of this verse is speaking also of two separate, non-deity seeds. In this context, God is speaking of two separate, distinct families, the offspring of two separate personages. The first is the offspring of Satan. Who are these people? According to John 8 vs. 41 and 44,

 

"You are doing the deeds of your father... You are of your father the Devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of all lies."

Here our Lord declares that those who both do and want to do the desires of the Devil are born of him. This is not mere conjecture on my part, since the Spirit reminded John again of this teaching, and he repeated it in 1 John 3,

 

"The one who practices sin is of the Devil; for the Devil has sinned from the beginning... By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." 

So, we now know that any man who practices sin and hates righteousness is born of the Devil. Now we must ask, who specifically is born of the Devil? To answer that, we must understand that you can only be one of two seeds: the seed of the woman or the seed of Satan. In innumerable passages, we see the seed of the woman equated with the Children of God. This is especially seen in John 3. Here the Lord declares, that you must be born from above, of water and Spirit, in order to inherit the Kingdom of God (John 3:3 & 5). This is set in contrast with those born of the flesh in vs. 6. However, every man is born of the flesh. Look at your body, is that flesh or is that spirit? By virtue of your physical birth, you are a child of the Devil. From your conception you were a sinner (Psalm 51:5). This is especially frightening when we see that if one sins, he is a slave to sin (John 8:34). Since everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), that means that all men who are born solely of the flesh are slaves to sin and thus sons of the Devil.

 

 

So, everyone (at first) is a son of the Devil, of the flesh. This is a huge problem, since this means that no man can inherit the Kingdom of God, since flesh and blood can't inherit it (1 Cor. 15:50). Thus, our Lord brings a wonderful solution to mankind's impending doom: we must be born of God (John 3:5). Easy enough, right? All you have to do is be born of God.

What is holding you back? Is this not the easiest of actions one could do? Can you not make yourself born of God? Can't you make God give you birth? Well, did you make your mother bear you in your flesh? No. It is the same with this spiritual birth. You do not have the ability to make God bear you.

"But read John 3:16! It says that if we believe in Jesus, we will be saved! Since only those who are born of God are saved, then it must mean that if I believe in Jesus, I will be born of God!" Well, I will grant you that those who truly believe in Christ are born of God. However, can you really, truly believe in Christ? “Yes”, you say. Well, let us test your assertion.

First off, if we want to know whether man is capable of believing in Christ, which is a righteous deed, we must understand his heart. This is because the heart is the wellspring, the origin, of our whole life (Prov. 4:23). So, what is in man’s heart? Well, our Lord, who knew the hearts of every man, gave a list which summarizes man’s heart in Matthew 15:19,

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

Notice that nothing is said about love or faith or obedience here. This is because the hearts of men are desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). There really is nothing good left in there. Why? Because they are the image of their father’s heart, which is devoid of all good. So, it is only natural that they are devoid of all good and full of all evil. Thus, no man can do anything, anything, good. Nothing at all. This is especially evident as Paul repeats in Romans 3:10-12,

“There is none righteous, not even one:

There is none who understands,

There is none who seeks for God;

All have turned aside, together they have become useless;

There is none who does good,

There is not even one.”

This is an extremely bleak picture. If this is true, which it is God’s Word and is thus true, then no man can do anything good. Nothing good at all. In fact, it can be said that every unsaved man is just like the unsaved before the flood, with every wish of their heart always being pure evil (Genesis 6:5).

So, can you, of your own will, believe in Christ? “Yes, it must be possible!” If this is still your reply, understand that it is only possible if the Scripture is either wrong or if belief in Christ is evil. Both arguments are sick and unthinkable. Thus, you are left with the fact that you cannot believe in Christ. Moreover, since those who obey Christ are those who are born of God, and since you cannot obey Christ, you cannot make yourself born of God. To make matters worse, you don’t even want to be.

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Because everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19)

If you remember nothing of this post, remember this: you are impotent, hopeless, and purely evil. There is nothing in you that is good, and you in fact hate all good with all of your being. It is true that you are as much a son of the Devil as Hitler, Stalin, and even the arch-son of Hell Judas Iscariot. You cannot save yourself, nor would you do so if you had the ability. No, you prefer to have your sin and your impending doom along with it. Well, you don’t like the idea of going to Hell, where God will pour out His perfect, terrifying wrath on you forever. However, you don’t hate the idea enough to cause you to beg God for mercy. Yet, that is to be expected, since you can’t do anything good because of your own fleshly nature. So, again, you are hopeless. No, you can’t “choose Christ”, or “open the door of your heart to Him”. You can’t accept the Light because you hate the Light and absolutely love evil. Thus, you are headed straight to Hell, where God will pour out His wrath on you for eternity as a result of your rebellion against Him. You are hopeless.

Yet, there is hope, hope that comes from outside of you. This hope is birth from God. Since we have established the fact that you can do nothing good, this hope must come completely from God. Realize, birth from above is a completely new creation inside of you. Through being born of God’s Spirit, you become spirit (John 3:6). In so doing, God creates a clean heart in you, a heart that actually wants and does His will (1 John 3, Ezekiel 36). He truly gives birth to you by miraculously creating a new soul in you, which makes you His son/daughter. As a result, you will inherit the Kingdom of God, which was prepared for you since before time began (Mat. 25:34). All of this is of God, for it is by His grace, through his granting of faith to us, since this work is not of ourselves but is of God (Eph. 2:8).

One of the central tenets of the true Gospel of our Lord is that man is impotent. You are impotent. You can do nothing at all that will allow you to be saved, since you can’t do anything good. Thus, God must save you, He must birth you. Every single part of salvation, from obedience to God to “saving faith”, is impossible for man. Yet, nothing is impossible for God.

Do you understand your utter inability to obey God? Do you realize how wretched, miserable, and poor you are? Good. Are you truly broken and mourning over this fact? Good. Are you humbled before the Almighty, realizing His Greatness and your utter lack of worth? Are you craving for His righteousness as a starving and parched man for food and water? Are you now granting mercy to others? Is your heart purified? Realize, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. Why? God birthed you, for these are the fruits only of spiritual birth. Our Lord lays it out clearly,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat. 5:3-12)

If the above is true of you, rejoice! Be thankful, for while you were still a sinner and enemy of God, God chose you, sent His Son to die in your place, and thus demonstrated His perfect love for you (Rom. 5:8). However, remember that this was not of you. So, lay aside your pride, acting as if you somehow earned salvation. Rather, live a life of perfect humility and love towards all men. Most of all, love God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do what I command you.

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

This I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:12-17)

 

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

And those whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

 

Nothing in your walk as a Christian comes from yourself (if it is good). No, either your works are wrought in God alone, by God alone, and by His blessed Will alone, or your works are of the flesh and evil (John 3:20-21). Thank God that He gave us life by His Will. When we could not obey and submit to Him, He granted us faith and repentance in spite of our flesh and evil wills (John 1:12-13). All glory to His Name.

 

God bless.